Lest These Sins Break You
by Qualbi-Lak
Summary: Prince Hans' lies went far deeper and more sinister than anyone realized. An unexpected visitor from the Southern Isles will illuminate the truth and throw them all - especially Elsa - off balance. Elsa/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**I would love it if you would review although I'd understand if you don't but please remember that I would prefer constructive criticism to flames (How else am I supposed to learn?) Thank you for your time.**_

_**I do not own these characters, with the exception of any OC's. I do not profit in any way from this story.**_

* * *

Two days after the Great Freeze, as it was now known, found Elsa smiling freely while Olaf marched around in a little top hat made of ice. Anna laughed and shouted out more costume changes which the Queen created without hesitation, no matter how silly. The three of them fell into a giggling mess when Olaf tripped over his frilly snow skirts. Anna's head landed in the crook of Elsa's neck and Olaf's twig arms squeezed themselves around her midsection.

It had been so long since Elsa had been embraced with as much love as these two gave her. There was warmth that she hadn't experienced since childhood, but too many years without human contact had her feeling anxious. The urge to push them both off—to fight for space so she could breathe—was nearly overwhelming.

Anna felt her sister stiffen beneath her cheek, with a sigh she rolled herself onto her back, lacing their fingers together to ensure she wouldn't make some excuse and run off. Elsa turned her head, embarrassment in her eyes and an apology ready on her lips but Anna only grinned as if nothing was wrong.

It was too good a day for her to push boundaries too far. Besides, Olaf was still blessedly ignorant to the tension flowing off Elsa in waves. He remained firmly planted against her torso and didn't seem ready to release the warm hug he craved. Elsa wasn't going to get far with a snowman latched against her side.

So Anna said nothing merely leaned her head back and closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth of the sun. After so many days of bone-deep cold she wasn't sure if she would ever take the sun for granted again.

Glancing over at Elsa to see if she was still ready to escape, she smiled to see her sister mirroring her actions, enjoying the sun's rays. She wondered if Elsa could even feel the warmth like she could—being a creature of cold after all. Before she could voice the question aloud they were interrupted.

"Your Majesty!" A frantic Kai called out. Elsa jumped up at his voice, dislodging Olaf from his hold on her, concern written across her features. "A ship is coming, bearing the flags of the Southern Isles; do we let them dock?"

Anna wanted to screech and stomp her feet. 'No no NO!' she wanted to demand, but she was not a petulant child anymore (most of the time anyway) and she would not embarrass herself or her family by doing so. Instead she waited calmly for Elsa—The Queen—to make the decision. Her sister had a mask of calm schooled across her features, but Anna wasn't fooled. Not when she gripped her fingers together so hard the knuckles bulged white.

"Allow them to dock, but detain them. I'll speak with their leader." Anna made a groaning sound, the only argument she would voice aloud, Elsa crooked a half-smile in her sister's direction as Kai hurried off to relay instructions.

"Well," Anna drawled, trying to come off as optimistic, "maybe they're here to apologize."

"Unlikely," her sister scoffed. "It takes days for news to travel from here to the Southern Isles. There hasn't been enough time for them to learn of Hans's actions."

"Then why would they be here?"

"If I were to guess I would say Hans had called for reinforcements, most likely even before the fjord was frozen over."

Anna's stomach dropped to her feet. "But that means...if there's one ship—"

"There could be more on their way," Elsa finished for her sister. Without another word she walked off to prepare herself for their 'guests'.

Anna stood unmoving. This wasn't supposed to happen; she was supposed to get her sister back and she and Kristoff were going to explore this new thing between them, and everything was going to be perfect. They weren't supposed to plan battles and worry over losses, or anything else that came with war. Not over a selfish prince who thought he was entitled to more than he deserved.

She jumped back when she felt something grasp her hand but realized it was only Olaf, still dressed in his silly costume. It didn't seem so funny anymore.

"Do you need a hug, Anna?" he asked innocently, grabbing her hand once more. Anna didn't answer, simply sinking to her knees and gathered him against her chest. She supposed that she should go ready herself as well but before that she needed to regain her composure.

Anna would not let them catch her off guard again.

* * *

It didn't take long for Elsa to get ready, and she was beginning to wish she had taken longer. Just sitting there, anxiously waiting for news that the visitors had arrived was giving her enough time to doubt herself. She wrung her hands together and bemoaned the missed opportunity to meet them at the docks. It would have been so much easier to send them right back onto their ship, ordering them away from her country.

Before she could worry about it further, there was a knock at the entrance of her private rooms. She flung the door open and strode through the hallway before her serviceman could speak. It was time to get this over with.

Elsa had expected the meeting to occur in the great hall, but only made it to the foyer before she heard loud arguing.

"I told you before; I'm just here to see my brother because we were getting worried." The speaker came into view when she rounded the corner. He was obviously a prince of the Southern Isles judging by his white, gilded uniform and scarlet sash – the way he called for his brother was also a key indicator. When their gazes locked, he ignored whomever it was he had been trying to reason with, instead stepping towards the queen. He didn't get far before gleaming sharpened swords aimed menacingly at his chest. His own guards looked ready to jump into the fray with their prince, despite their lack of weaponry.

"Okay, let's try this again." He huffed in irritation, stepping back from a blade that was uncomfortably closer than the rest.

"Your Majesty," He bowed deeply at the waist, twirling his wrist in a mocking gesture. "I am Prince Nicolaus of the Southern Isles, and it would please me so if someone could _just_ tell me where my brother is."

Elsa cocked an unimpressed eyebrow in his direction. "Greetings, Prince Nicolaus. I would be more than happy to tell you where your brother is. Currently, he is enjoying the hospitality of our dungeons."

The prince reeled back, clearly shocked by this news. "But...I don't understand. What happened?"

"He tried to kill our queen and he left me to die." Elsa was surprised that she hadn't sensed Anna's entrance; the fury rolling off her in waves was nearly palpable. She'd thrown her copper hair into a simple twist, a style that served to make her look older than the twin braids she had favored for most of her life.

"But I—I just don't—that just doesn't seem like him," he stuttered, his brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Well, whether it was like him or not, his attempt to murder me is akin to treason. I assume he must have summoned you, judging by how quickly you traveled here after the Freeze." Elsa hoped that her face did not betray her uneasiness. She had never dealt with a possible war in her week as reigning queen.

"Freeze? What freeze—you know what? It doesn't matter." He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "My brother never summoned me. Our family was just worried because we hadn't heard from him. It's his first political trip alone, and he was only supposed to be here long enough to represent us at the coronation and then sail home. When he didn't return or send any word, we were concerned. The king sent me to check up on him."

"To see if your plan to take the throne was still in place?!" Anna's voice broke noticeably at the end, and Elsa couldn't blame her. The attempted coup cut her deeper than it had the queen.

"We don't want your throne," he sneered, his lip curled back. Elsa could tell tensions were running too high. Anna's face was twisted in fury and she looked ready to leap at him and judging by the way he shifted the weight in his feet, Nicolaus would not go down without a fight.

"Bring up Prince Hans," she called to one of her guards, hoping that if the brothers saw each other, it would ease the situation enough to allow a smoother discussion. However, a flicker of betrayal shone in Anna's eyes, and Elsa felt the guilt leap at her. She _had_ promised her sister that she would never have to see the traitor again after all.

"Okay, can we be a little more specific now?" Nicolaus asked in a reserved tone as a few of the guards walked away to follow their queen's orders. "What exactly did Hans do?"

"Well, if holding a sword over the queen's head isn't a serious enough act," Anna spoke slowly through gritted teeth, "He locked me in a room when he knew I was dying, and told everyone that we had performed our marriage vows before I had supposedly expired in his arms. Thus making him the new king after Elsa—I mean _Queen_ Elsa—was dead."

Nicolaus looked more confused than ever; his eyebrows were practically disappearing into his hairline. His bewilderment seemed sincere enough that Elsa was almost tempted to believe him, if his brother hadn't proven just how untrustworthy princes of the Southern Isles could be.

"Look, I'll make this simpler for you," Elsa began waving her sister off from continuing to throw accusations around. "Your brother came here under the pretense of peace and tried to create an alliance with my sister in order to gain the crown. When he asked her to marry him—"

"Wait," Nicolaus cut her off, which only served to make Elsa bristle under the surface and cement the decision that she did not like this man.

"Hans asked you to marry him?" He pointed to Anna who only nodded in response. Elsa could now see that he was fighting back a smile. "And you accepted?" If she had doubted before, she could tell for sure by the prince's incredulous voice that he was amused.

"If you serve to mock my sister, sir," she hissed, "I swear your stay here will be all the more unpleasant."

"Oh, no mockery here, Your Majesty," He held out his hands in a pacifying gesture, though she could read on his face that he didn't mean a word. "It just seems that if Arendelle wished to forge a marriage alliance with the Southern Isles, they could have done so with a prince closer to her highnesses age. I mean, we have plenty to spare."

"What are you talking about?" Anna spat out.

"Oh, nothing much, just that Hans might have been a little _young _for you, but whatever you prefer is not up to me to judge."

"My preferences run within normal limits, sir. And besides, Hans is older than I am, so it would have been socially acceptable anyway!"

Anna continued to scold the prince, but he wasn't paying attention. Elsa watched his mouth open to throw out another insult but he hesitated for a moment, thinking things over, and the confusion on his face turned to panic.

"What does he look like?" he interrupted Anna, stepping forward and once again ignoring the raised swords. "My brother, what does he look like? Does he resemble me at all?" His voice was frantic now, and his fear was starting to concern Elsa.

"Well... no, not really." Anna was right. Elsa looked at the prince closely and couldn't find any similarities. Where his hair was dark and curly, Hans' was auburn and straight. Their noses didn't match, nor did their jawlines. Moreover, while Hans had bright green eyes, which were easily noticeable and striking, Nicolaus had blue. At least she assumed they were blue, since they didn't really draw much attention.

He didn't look like Hans at all.

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Anna asked, but Elsa was beginning to understand, and the distress the prince was exhibiting was worming its way through her own thoughts.

Before Nicolaus could say any more, a set of doors opened with a bang, startling everyone. Elsa even felt her sister jump at the sudden interruption.

The guards brought forth the prisoner. His head was covered, and Elsa watched Nicolaus draw in a shaky breath. Even before the cloth covering was removed, a myriad of emotions crossed his face—anger, confusion, and fear. A lot of fear.

When they revealed his face, Nicolaus stepped back as if burned. He reeled around to his own guards who seemed just as shocked as their prince was.

"Search the ship they arrived in! Look for any sign of Hans!" His voice rose in such desperation that no one moved to stop the guards as they scrambled out of the foyer, nearly tripping over themselves in their frantic haste.

He turned back to the prisoner who was grinning maliciously, not at all repentant of his crimes.

"Where is my brother?!" Nicolaus surged forward, and although they no longer held their weapons against him, her own guards held him back. She was momentarily glad for their quick thinking, because the prince looked ready to spit fire.

"Couldn't say really, there's just so much ocean between here and the Southern Isles. Easy place for someone to go missing," Hans laughed as Nicolaus fought against the hands holding him back.

"He was barely more than a boy, you insignificant cur!" Hans struggled continuously, fighting and tugging as those who were in charge of the prisoner fought to drag him back to the dungeons, but he was obviously enjoying this too much and stood his ground.

"Which made it all the easier to get rid of him. He fought back; you would have all been so proud!" The glee in his voice made Elsa ill, and she stood frozen to the spot. Too much information to process—and some of it she didn't even want to fathom.

They were all too preoccupied with their charges that no one noticed Anna step forward. The sound of fist meeting flesh jarred everyone to a standstill as the prisoner howled and attempted to bring his chained hands to his visibly broken nose.

"That's the second time you've hit me, princess. Not a very lady-like thing to do." He snarled through clenched teeth. Anna was breathing heavily and tears spilled down her cheeks, though she made no move to wipe them away.

"You are a wretched man. An awful, vile, despicable man," Her voice was steady, despite the tears. "And I can't believe that I—I..." She didn't finish, and everyone stood aside as she ran away.

It was silent, save for the prisoner's breathy complaints of pain. The prince seemed drained, as if finally realizing the implications; that his brother might actually be dead. Elsa stepped forward in an attempt to take charge of the situation.

"What is your name?" Time stood still for the answer, and Elsa schooled her features into a mask of indifference.

"Well," he drawled in a voice that was a little muffled from the broken nose. "I suppose you could call me Loki."

The god of tricksters—how fitting. "Is that your real name?"

He didn't answer, only grinned through the blood trickling down his face. She gestured for the guards to take him away, and then turned to face the still-silent prince. Their eyes met and he pulled himself away from those holding him, but he stumbled forward, gripping her shoulder for balance. It must have been too soon. She placed her hand over his wrist to steady him.

"Sorry," he mumbled in a voice devoid of any emotion as he stepped back.

"So am I," He nodded in understanding and walked toward the entry hall. She assumed he was going to join the search for any clues pertaining to his brother's fate on the ship.

"Your Majesty," One of the lieutenants stepped forward. "Should we follow him?"

"To assist in the search only. He is free to go whenever he chooses," The soldier bowed and motioned for a few of his men to accompany him after the prince.

Elsa sighed heavily and wished she could weep. For the lies that continued to tear at her family, for her sister who had fancied herself in love with a monster, for Nicolaus and his lost brother. She tried to imagine herself in that situation with her own sister, but she nearly lost control of the ice thrumming just under the surface.

She dismissed the remaining spectators to their normal duties and walked in the direction of her sister's room. She suddenly had the urge to hug Anna and never let her go.


	2. Chapter 2

_**The title of this story may or may not change in the coming days. It just happened to be the song I was listening to while brainstorming at one point and it stuck but it doesn't actually fit right now. But alas, naming stories seems to be as difficult as writing the summaries for them.**_

_**The review I got for the first chapter was positive and encouraging so I wrote another chapter. Thank you for your kind words reviewer.**_

* * *

Nicolaus made his way to the docks, desperation flooding his senses with every step. His brother was not dead—he would not accept is as truth until he could make sure for himself.

Hans was little more than a boy, nearly fifteen and ready to take on the world; a precocious intelligent young man whose only crime was that he stuck his nose into everything. He'd begged with their older brother when the invitation to the Queen's coronation came, it was his chance to practice political visits without supervision. After all it was only Arendelle, calm peaceful Arendelle where hardly anything ever happened. So much for that.

Nicolaus wished their older brother had put up more of a resistance. If the king had never agreed to the trip than Hans would still be at home, reading two or three books simultaneously and arguing with his tutors about one thing or another.

Instead he was tasked with sailing to Arendelle himself when the prince failed to return on the day they had all agreed upon. Two more days with no news and the King sent the first brother he could grab on his fastest ship to find their wayward Hans. Turns out they were right to worry.

He didn't know who this madman was, a face he had never seen in his life and he still had trouble wrapping his head around the fact that an unknown villain stole away on his youngest brother's ship and rid himself of the prince, taking on his persona, all for a failed coup. None of it made sense, he would have known one of the true princes would have come looking for their brother and his entire game would be up. What was he hoping to accomplish?

Nicolaus's thoughts were brought to a halt when he finally found his way back to the docks. It didn't take long to find Hans's ship, the Southern Isles flags were still flapping gently in the breeze. Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself before walking up the gangplank, terrified of what he might find.

His own guards had already gathered all those inhabiting the ship, not many of them were there and he realized that none of them bore familiar faces although they all wore his countries colors. In addition to his brother, this "Loki" character must have rid himself of the crew loyal to the Southern Isles royalty. The thought made his blood boil.

His soldiers were tearing the ship apart; no room was left intact after one of his men went sweeping through. He watched as a few guards continuously slammed against the heavy door of the captain's quarters, the only room locked and the one his brother would have inhabited during the trip.

The former crew watched on, some wore looks of shame, yet none would answer the questions thrown at them.

"We can't, sirs!" one claimed in a voice laced with fear. "He'll hurt out families!" A few others nodded in agreement and Nicolaus stormed over to the speaker.

"Who will hurt your families?" he demanded, getting close to the sailor's face. The man only shook his head frantically, eyes wide like a frightened horse. "The man who led you here, did he make these threats? He is locked up now he can't hurt anyone."

He tried to reason with them, offer protection of his own but they remained steadfast in their silence. With a heavy sigh he stood back, watching as the soldiers still struggled with the door. Heavy footsteps on the gangplank alerted him to newcomers and he watched as a contingency of Arendelle's soldiers joined them. It was obviously the Queen's attempt to assist with the search and he was grateful for the help. Especially when he watched one of the younger ones remove a few tools from his belt and shove his way to the door handle, kneeling down he got to work on picking the lock and Nicolaus found himself momentarily impressed with the Queen's fore-thinking to allow a lockpick into her ranks. This new ruler had some ideas worth borrowing.

He glanced back at the seated crew briefly and noticed a girl among their ranks. The fact that she was a female was not what caught his attention, for there were other women in their little group and he could guess their purpose. But what really set her apart was the way she maintained eye contact with him. All of the others stared at their feet or watched the search but she alone was looking at him with cautious eyes.

He found her antics curious and kept watching her until she glanced down. He was about to turn away himself when she looked back up quickly, making sure he was still watching. Again she glanced down and back up again, her eyes were almost pleading with him now.

Before he could decipher her strange antics he heard a shout as the lockpick succeeded in his task. His soldiers moved to surge forward but held back when they saw their prince moving toward them.

He entered the room first and saw nothing amiss. The clothes haphazardly tucked into the open chests were ones that his brother had packed, and the bedspread was one an elderly nanny of Hans's had quilted for him when he was barely able to walk on his own. He loved that thing and never traveled anywhere without it, even endured the relentless teasing of his older brothers over his comfort blanket.

These were initially the only items he could recognize as his brother's. There were a few empty port bottles and a collection of rather wicked looking instruments, which Nicolaus didn't even want to imagine their purpose.

Instead he moved forward, rolling the bedspread up and tucking it under his arm as the men surged around him looking for clues.

There were no signs of a struggle, nothing to indicate a fight as "Loki" had indicated back at the palace. He was quickly losing hope of finding his brother here and tried to remind himself that there were ports between here and the Southern Isles, perhaps he had been let off there along with the original crew.

"Your Highness!" One of Arendelle's lieutenants called out lifting a rug from the floor. Nicolaus felt his heart drop and it took nearly all of his self-restraint not to cry out. There was dried blood sealed to the floor. A lot of it by the size of the stain.

He clutched the blanket closer to his side and attempted to compose himself. It wouldn't do to lose it in front of all these soldiers—some of them not even his own. Instead he walked out of the small cabin and took long, cleansing breaths.

He had no way to prove that the blood was Hans' but at this point there was no reason to hope otherwise. His grip on the quilt tightened until his fingers went numb, as he waited for the remainder of his men to return from their search of the lower deck. He didn't expect them to find anything.

"Your Highness," a voice called out hesitantly. He looked up to see the same lieutenant at his side. "If you would like Your Highness, we can house you at the main castle for your stay." The man was cautious as if afraid the prince might break. Nicolaus was afraid he might be right.

"Yes," he spoke after a moment—he didn't recognize his own voice, "I think I'll take you up on the offer." He decided he was going to stay until that wretched man housed in the dungeons gave up every secret he knew; And then he was going to kill him.

"What of the crew?" One of his own soldiers asked. Nicolaus looked back at them one more time and again locked eyes with the girl from before. She continued to glance down and back at him, almost frantic in the action, but he was too drained to play this game.

"Keep them on board. I want to question them again and I'd rather not abuse the Queen's generosity by filling her cells." The men nodded and began herding the men down below. A few of Arendelle's own followed them down.

"Our men will help keep watch, wouldn't want any escapees," the lieutenant assured him. Nicolaus nodded his head in thanks and began the walk back to the castle. He was numb and barely hanging on to his emotions. He wanted to fight, and yell, and hunt down every man responsible. Instead he continued the trek towards the looming castle, thoughts of Hans and his fate battling for control in his mind.

He now had the unfortunate duty of informing his family that their youngest member may indeed be lost to them.

* * *

Elsa had sat with her sister for nearly an hour before Kristoff returned from his daily work. He walked into the room with a smile and a friendly greeting which immediately died when he realized that Anna was a blubbering mess.

Through broken sobs Anna had explained this new development. Kristoff looked ready to storm down to the dungeons himself, instead he plopped next to Elsa and ran a thumb down her sister's face gathering tear streaks against the pads of his finger.

"It'll be alright, Feistypants. None of this was your fault." Anna sniffled but seemed to calm down as Kristoff repeated the gesture.

"If I hadn't fallen for his ruse—"

"Then the real Hans would have suffered his fate anyway. That all happened before they even got here." This was the same conversation Elsa had been having with her sister before he had arrived but it seemed that Anna was more receptive to the way Kristoff tenderly gathered the hair away from her face.

Elsa stood and made excuses to leave the two of them alone. It hurt that her sister relied on a newcomer for comfort more than her sister but she wasn't all that surprised, the wounds of abandonment ran too deep.

Instead she made her way to the war room where many of her military leaders congregated to discuss goings-on, despite the fact that they hadn't actively been engaged in a war since her grandfather's time. She intended to ask if they had any news of Prince Nicolaus and his search but the main doors opened just as she crossed the entryway and in stepped the subject of her inquires.

Elsa didn't have to ask, his face betrayed it all. In his arms he clutched a weathered looking quilt as if it was the only thing anchoring him to this plane of existence. Grief was written all over his features in the way his eyes drooped and his mouth turned down at the edges.

As if sensing her inspection of him he looked up, immediately his features formed into an emotionless mask, but she wasn't fooled.

"Your Majesty, thank you for allowing me to call upon you hospitality while I go over my options." Elsa really hadn't extended the invitation but one look at her lieutenant and his hesitant face spoke volumes. She shot him an assuring smile; Elsa wouldn't have turned the prince away in any regard.

"Of course, Your Highness. I'll have Gerda show you to your rooms." She motioned the woman in question forward and was mildly relieved that all the rooms had previously been aired out prior to her coronation. It wouldn't do to house a guest in thirteen years' worth of dust.

Nicolaus bowed again and followed Gerda up the stairway, his every step seemed to shout of his exhaustion.

Elsa turned back to her lieutenant who was quick to fill her in on the details. "But it was only a blood spot you found?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"So Prince Hans could still be alive?" She had a glimmer of hope. Until her lieutenant drew in a hesitant breath.

"It was a lot of blood, and there were no signs that the prince had been in those rooms for a number of days." Elsa nodded and felt her own shoulders fall in disappointment, she had so hoped for a miracle.

"What will become of the prisoner now?" he asked, he could hardly hide the contempt in his voice.

"The decision of his fate will now lie with the Southern Isles. He has wronged them far more grievously than he has wronged us." Her companion nodded and bowed, walking towards the war room. No doubt to inform the others of the transpired events.

Elsa felt heavy. She had been locked in her rooms fearing herself for so long she never considered the things she had to fear outside of those four walls. She was unsure of how to deal with these new threats.

* * *

Tor was a former thief who had expected to spend at least most, if not all, of his adult life rotting away in the palace dungeons. He'd grown up developing skills geared towards robbing others of their worldly goods.

He'd been pretty talented at it too until an unexpected mishap with an adulterous woman and a late night visitor who was not her husband had gotten him caught and thrown into a cell he'd been ready to call home. His only hope was a tradition held in Arendelle that every time a new ruler was crowned fifteen prisoners guilty of lesser crimes were released and put to work. Most of the time they ended up back in chains but Tor knew if he was chosen he'd do everything in his power to avoid returning to those dank dungeon walls.

Of course all his hopes were dashed against the rocks when he saw his arresting officer walking up and down the narrow hallway making choices as he went. When he'd come to Tors cell recognition immediately lit up his face.

"If it isn't the thief."

"Sir." Tor replied, there was nothing to lose by leaning heavily on the respect.

"You know, young man, I never got to have a chat with you about that night." The soldier drew himself up to his full height. "That was my house you broke into."

Tor winced, there went any of his chances. "I am so—"

"That was my wife you caught." The officer interrupted with a heavy sigh, "I guess I owe you thanks."

Tor was speechless—this could not be happening. But happen it did and the soldier pulled out a ring of keys to open the cell door and released him from his shackles. He couldn't believe his luck.

The next day he was assigned to work as a soldier under the same officer for a probationary period. He had never expected it, but he did quite well as a guard serving the queen. His skills transferred over smoothly and then some.

And some days he could even consider himself a bit heroic, like today when he'd managed to pick open the lock before any of those buffoons harmed themselves by slamming against an enforced door over and over.

Shaking his head, he glanced over his shoulder at those he was tasked with guarding. No one had actually called them prisoners and they weren't shackled together but there was no mistaking their true status.

Before he looked away one of the prisoners caught his attention. One of the younger girls, she was visibly malnourished and dark circles bloomed under her eyes as if she's been punched in the nose. She clearly needed food yet she was busy shoving portions of her meal between two cracks.

"Hey!" he called out. She dropped the food to the floor and stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you doing?! If you're not going to eat it give it to someone else!" She hesitated for only a moment before she began pointing to the bottom of the ship frantically.

"Oh no, I don't think so. You did this to yourself, I am not swimming to the bottom of the ocean to fish up your unwanted bread, I don't care how shallow the water is." Tor scolded her. She frowned and gestured again tapping her foot impatiently. The other prisoners studiously avoided looking at her as if their shoes were far more interesting to watch.

"The answer is no!" He crossed his arms over his chest and she switched from pointing to just making a pleading gesture. "Look, you'll get fed again in the morning just remember not to throw away your food if you want it that bad."

He turned away to speak with one of the Southern Isles soldiers who had come down to see what all the commotion was about, completely missing the way she slumped to the floor and continued to shove bits of food through the cracks, glaring at Tor all the while.

He spoke with the new soldier for a while before a thought occurred to him. "Hey I don't know much about boats or the like, but wouldn't cracks on the bottom be considered a bad thing?"

"Cracks?" The soldier questioned. "Well yeah, but there's always supplies, like tar for example, on hand to patch them up should the need arise."

"So there shouldn't be cracks big enough for a wayward soul to inexplicably slip bits of food through?"

The soldier laughed loudly. "Probably not no, not without water puddles to show for it, besides this was a royal vessel, it was inspected quite well before leaving the Southern Isles."

The new information nagged at Tor but he only blamed it on the harrowing day they'd had. Yet, when he was relieved from duty and slipped into the cot provided for those guarding the ship he couldn't help but mull over the memory of the girl and her bizarre behavior.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Another encouraging review prompted me to get this chapter out quicker than I thought. I ended up changing the story name to better suit the actual storyline.**_

_**Anyway, thank you for reading. Please review if you have the time, I find they light the fires of inspiration in an astonishing way.**_

* * *

Elsa hadn't expected to see Prince Nicolaus so soon after his harrowing afternoon, but the next morning he was seated patiently at the dining table waiting for breakfast to be served while writing on a sheaf of paper he'd brought with him from his rooms.

As soon as he noticed her he stood and bowed and she curtsied in return, he favored her with a small smile, though it seemed forced. They exchanged small pleasantries while he pulled her chair out.

"Ah, a gentleman." She hoped her teasing wasn't coming too soon, she just didn't know how to deal with someone who looked so downtrodden. Fortunately he eased her fears by crooking the side of his mouth into another smile—a real one this time.

"Well, don't be too impressed, it's the only thing I remember from my etiquette lessons." She giggled and he smiled again, and Elsa had hoped she was making headway into helping him forget his troubles; until her mind went completely blank and an awkward tension settled back in.

He seemed to be at a loss as well if the way he twiddled his thumbs and looked anywhere but at her were any indication. Finally he cleared his throat.

"My apologies for not requesting breakfast be laid out sooner, it's just that there seems to be this rule—"

"Oh my goodness I completely forgot!" Elsa barely held back from throwing her face into her palms, how could she forget that meal guests weren't served until the Queen, or another leading figure, arrived? She'd never had guests to exercise the rule on and she made a quick mental note to have it changed immediately.

"I hope you weren't waiting too long." She gestured to one of the serving maids whom she hadn't noticed until now. It seemed her palace staff had perfected the concept of 'invisible until needed.'

"Not long at all, Your Majesty. I was simply making a list of all open ports between here and the Southern Isles." He nodded down to the papers he'd been poring over before she interrupted him. "I was hoping, all though there's not a very good chance, that perhaps Hans was abandoned in one of these areas."

He handed the list over and she eagerly inspected the names, a small flicker of hope beginning to take hold. She hadn't even considered the possibility that the young prince could simply be safe, if not a little shaken up, in one of these foreign areas.

"There's quite a few of them."

"Only four, Your Majesty." He shrugged. "The problem isn't how many there are, it's how large they are. It could take a few days to search and then there's the travel time to account for. I just don't want to race against a clock and then miss something."

"I'll send some ships out as well." He looked at her in shock, the lines on his brow deepening. Elsa noticed he did that often.

"That is generous of you..." He studied her further until Elsa fought the urge to fidget under his gaze.

"What?" she snapped and immediately regretted it. Queens did not shout at royal visitors no matter how frustratingly cryptic they were being. She looked at him beneath her lashes, hoping that perhaps he hadn't noticed how rude she was being. His hands were splayed wide in a pacifying gesture but the grin on his face revealed that he was more amused than offended.

"Well, well. I thought the princess was the only one with some fire in her veins." She gaped at his comment before breaking into loud laughter. The servants who laid trays in front of the pair shot her odd looks while Nicholaus laughed along awkwardly, not quite sure what she found so funny.

Elsa finally noticed the unease of everyone around her and cut her laughter short, an embarrassed flush creeping to her cheeks.

"Sorry," she began, ducking her head down, "it's just that fiery isn't often used to describe me."

"Oh?" He took a sip of his orange juice and inspected her over the rim of the glass. "And what would be used to describe you?"

"Icy, frigid, cold." Elsa shrugged as if these descriptions never bothered her, they were true after all. "But never fiery."

He said nothing for another moment only watched her with an unreadable look in his eyes. Elsa fought back the urge to snap at him again; she was beginning to hate the way he stared.

"I would say, Your Majesty," He finally looked away, back down to his papers, "That a queen willing to aide in an oceanwide manhunt for a boy who may be dead, could be called anything but _cold_."

She shuffled the eggs around her plate, no longer interested in eating. "Well after everything that happened with my powers you can understand how some might think of me as such." She sighed and dropped her fork, giving up on the ruse. "I just want the people to trust me again, to prove that I am a benevolent leader and helping with the search of your brother is the only opportunity that has presented itself, or at least the only one that I couldn't possible mess up."

She hesitantly glanced at him to gauge whether he had taken offense to her using his brother's search as a gesture of goodwill for her own people. Instead she found him frozen with his fork halfway to his open mouth, eyes comically bulged and trademark worry lines visible on his brow.

"P-powers?!" His voice had raised an octave. Elsa realized with a sudden jolt that news of the Great Freeze would never have reached him, as he was already sailing to Arendelle by the time the whole affair was over.

He was one of the few people in her entire kingdom who didn't know she was a freak and she had gone and blown it. Tears burned at her eyes and she wanted to sink into the floor. Of course he would have eventually learned of what she could do, but better it happen when she was less vulnerable.

"Um," He cleared his throat and tried to adjust his body into a facade of ease but she saw right through it. "Wh-what kind of powers?"

She had foregone gloves that morning while readying herself, she hardly needed them anymore; now she placed her palms flat on the table and let the ice streak from her spread fingers. Fractal designs wound themselves towards Nicolaus.

"Guess," she replied, keeping her voice as even as possible. If he was going to become frightened of her she might as well steel herself now.

Instead of the expected reaction of shouts and flailing limbs, he threw his head back and laughed. Long and loud enough that she became concerned, perhaps he was hysterical.

"I get it now!" He grinned at her. "'Fire in your veins', oh it makes so much more sense." Elsa realized he was recalling their earlier conversation and smiled slightly herself. "I just thought you were trying to be nice when you laughed at my joke."

She wasn't sure how to reply to that, she had actually expected more fear and less enjoyment out of the sudden display. But Nicolaus absentmindedly trailed his finger along the remaining ice trails, already melting under his touch. His smile fell away from his face and he seemed to remember himself in that instant.

"Hans would have loved this. He adored anything out of fairy tales and fiction."

"Well when you find him he is welcome to a viewing of his own." The prince smiled at her but it was filled with less sincerity than his others had been.

"_If_ we find him." The smile was completely gone now, replaced with a blank mask.

"You will." Elsa tried to assure him but was worried he was too far gone in his despair to cling to any of her hope. "I'll send out the fastest ships I have, that coupled with your own vessels should cut the search time in half."

He only nodded and scraped a thumb against the panels on the table, the ice was completely melted now. They remained silent for a few minutes after and Elsa figured their conversation was over with for the morning.

"I wrote to my family. I expect one or two of my siblings might show up here within the next few weeks." Elsa nodded at his admission hardly surprised. "They'll also want a look at this prisoner." His fingers curled into his palms at the mention of 'Loki', she worried he would dig in far enough to draw blood.

"Of course, all decisions of his fate will be left up to your family." He didn't outwardly show it but she sensed he was more than a little pleased by this news.

"Thank you, Queen Elsa." He stood and gathered his papers, abandoning his half eaten meal. "I appreciate all the help you've offered in the search for my brother."

His tone was formal and his posture was impeccable as he stepped away from the table, but before he made his way toward the door he turned back one last time.

"And thank you for the conversation. I wasn't sure I'd be able to smile again until I knew for sure of my brothers fate." His lips quirked long enough to flash his dimples, as if he were trying to smile for her but lacked the energy to do so. She said nothing in reply as she watched him walk away.

Elsa decided she liked it better when he smiled.

* * *

Tor wasn't supposed to be on duty until later that afternoon but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed something. Growing up, he had learned to rely on his instincts and it had proved an invaluable skill. Kept him out of a lot of bad scrapes.

Now he was trying to nonchalantly make his way to the lower deck without arousing too much suspicion. As he walked down the last few steps he spotted his target—the girl from the night before. They'd already served everyone breakfast so he'd missed his chance to catch her tossing out food but he still wanted to get a look at the size of the cracks she was able to get her meal through.

It just didn't make sense that she would be able to do that without at least some water leakage to show for it. But they were literally as far down as they could go on this ship so where else could she be shoving her food except to a shallow watery grave?

The girl had her back to him so he took his time making his way over to her. Nodding to a few of the other guards he finally stepped behind her hoping to get a good look at these illusive cracks. Instead she whirled around as if sensing his footsteps. Fury was etched on her face until she recognized who he was. Without hesitation she gestured to the floorboards beneath her but he saw nothing outright that could be claimed as out of the ordinary. Maybe a few slivers here and there but dark patches split between them. _Probably tar_. He must have imagined the girl throwing out her food. Still she pointed downwardly over and over.

"What's the matter girl? Cat got your tongue?" he joked, hoping to get her to stop her stupid gesturing and just tell him what she wanted. Instead she growled and opened her mouth as wide as it would go. Tor fled backwards so quickly he tripped over his own feet.

She really had no tongue, or at least nothing but a pinkish stub which showed evidence of being cut. She closed her mouth again and tears shimmered in her eyes. The other guards had seen her wound when Tor had drawn their attention over and now they whispered amongst themselves. He felt bad to cause her obvious shame and moved forward to apologize.

Instead she growled again and stepped back, for a moment he worried that this girl would be able to burn him alive with one look. After all, their queen had mystical powers, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that others could have magic too.

His fears were laid to rest when she pointed at the floorboards again. He sighed and tried to reason with her.

"Look, I'm sorry that I embarrassed you." He started, moving forward again. Instead of retreating like he expected her to do, she reeled back and slapped him as hard as her malnourished body could handle. There wasn't much force to it but it was surprising enough that he fell back. The second time she had planted him firmly on his arse.

Tor waved off the guards that had stepped forward to help. The girl fell to her knees and stared at him in fury.

"Look!" he shouted, slamming a fist against the floor, "I don't know what your problem is but you have got to stop acting so crazy!"

Her reply was to slam her own brittle fists against the deck. She did it twice more and he was prepared to scold her further before he realized something.

The wood panels she hit against gave off a hollow thunk, much different from the solid noises he let off while hitting the floor. It reminded him of the sound test he would use to discover hidden rooms in the houses of the richest people, those who could afford false doors and hidden entryways.

Scrambling forward he knocked against the spot she had been banging her fists against and repeated the gesture a few feet away. The noises were drastically different. There was something down there.

"Hey!" he shouted over to the guards. Both were of the Southern Isles and had watched his little display with open confusion. "I think I found something! Get me a pry bar!"

"If you start breaking up the deck you'll sink this whole ship," one of them replied. Tor rolled his eyes and glanced over to see the girl mirroring the gesture.

"It won't sink if there's another room down here!" Following another hunch, he gestured both guards over while rummaging through his side pack. "Look here, what's this?"

Tor pulled out a slim metal tool he used to slide through the more delicate locks. He pointed to the cracks where black slipped through.

"That's just the tar we use to do patch works." He could hear the impatient tone so he moved quickly to avoid losing their interest.

"Or, it could be shadows coming up from a dark room." Gently he placed his tool against the crack and pressed down. It slipped halfway through before the other soldiers realized the implications.

"Move the crew!" One of them shouted to the other as he ran toward the stairs leading back to the top, all the while shouting about the newly discovered room. Tor looked up and grinned at the girl who didn't return his excitement, although she did nod at him in acceptance. Truth be told she looked too exhausted for any sort of celebrating and gave no resistance when the guard grabbed her arm to move her with the rest of the crew. She must have burned herself out trying to draw attention to this secret.

But Tor was running on too much adrenaline to feel offended that she hadn't expressed more interest. He turned back to the floor, judging the room's size through a series of knocks while he heard men above scrambling around deck. Removing his dagger, he began digging at the floorboards. If he was wrong then the ship would sink and it wouldn't matter much anyway.

Yet, the first board splintered in half without allowing water in and he was able to use the small amount of light this opening created to inspect enough of the shadows to decide that there was definitely something down there.

Tor whooped in excitement as more men flooded down the stairs with tools more suited to the job of revealing the room in its entirety. Stepping back he allowed them to take over the job and gave himself a mental pat on the back.

His instincts had pulled him through once again.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you for the reviews! You make this so much more fun. And I also appreciate the pointers, they really helped and I have taken them seriously.**_

_**So here is chapter 4 and we are zooming right through this, much faster than I had initially thought I would (it's the reviews, I tell ya)**_

* * *

Anna had wept in Kristoff's arms until he'd been forced to leave later that night. How could she have fallen so blindly? And with such a horrible man. How could someone do something like that? It was just unfathomable to her.

She remembered the day her sister lost control and ran away in hopes of keeping the kingdom safe, ironically cursing them instead. She'd heard whispers from the villagers, many of them not so heartwarming, and a duke screaming out a new name for the Queen: monster. Anna had been offended on her sister's behalf and didn't think anyone deserved that kind of treatment. Now she knew she was wrong—there was one she could safely title the worst sort of monster she had ever faced.

As her mind continued to whirl and the tears just didn't stop streaming from her eyes, Kristoff stayed with her. He hummed silly little songs meant to make her smile—although the attempt failed—and continued to run his hand soothingly through her mused hair or scratching his fingertips lightly along her back while she buried her face into his chest and poured out all her anger and sadness. He hadn't even complained when he noticed that snot was mixing with the tears that stained his shirt. Instead he maintained steady physical contact because he knew she craved a loving touch almost as much as she did her sweets.

Eventually her tears had run dry and the sobs had quieted down. She could breathe a little deeper and she had stopped repeating the same questions over and over. By then Kristoff had noticed that it was late—later than propriety allowed for him to be alone in her he untangled their limbs and stood, stretching out his back.

"I've got to go now," he said reluctantly running a finger along the trail of her eyebrows. She merely nodded and sat up to get under the covers of her bed without dressing. He didn't point out this fact; instead tucked the blankets against her body tightly.

"Do you want me to get your sister?"

Anna contemplated this for a moment and shook her head in the negative.

"No, I just want to be by myself now." Kristoff nodded and stood awkward, popping his knuckles beneath his thumb. This was his first experience with a crying girl he cared about—or any crying girl really, and he wasn't sure how to exit without making the situation worse.

"Um...I'll see ya, or um no, I mean I'll be here tomorrow, okay?" he asked, and she nodded without really smiling but he could see she was pleased with this plan. "Okay, yeah good! Tomorrow then."

He started to walk out the door when he stopped and turned back to address her. Anna was uncomfortably reminded of another time when 'Hans' had turned back to fire off one more parting shot before going after Elsa while her joints locked in icy pain.

"Hey Anna?" Kristoff's voice broke her from the memory. He smiled shyly at her and she felt little butterflies erupt in her stomach, he had such a nice smile. "I just wanted to say that...that guy was an idiot. If I had you I would have never let you go."

His blush was severe enough that she could see it flush his skin from her spot on the bed before tears welled in her eyes again. And here she thought she'd already drained the tears from her body. Kristoff mumbled another awkward good bye before she could say anything and closed the door behind him.

Now she was truly alone with her thoughts. She assumed she would be tired, Anna found that crying for more than a few hours a day led to bone-deep exhaustion. But instead her mind continued to repeat the memories of the previous week. Of a handsome prince who swept her off her feet and a common man who had grounded her back to the earth.

A sudden memory fought to the front of her mind. One from when she was young—ten years old, if she recalled correctly—and her father had come into the library to find his youngest daughter studiously writing on a blank piece of parchment, her tongue poking out the side of her mouth in concentration.

"What's this?" he had asked, leaning over her shoulder to get a better look while tugging gently on one of her braids. She'd swept his hand away without missing a beat.

"It's a list," she had replied.

"I see that much, a list of what?" She set her quill to the side completely ignoring the drops of ink that stained the writing desk.

"A list of all the traits my future husband is going to have." She watched him smile and although she didn't realize it then, the tick in his jaw meant he was trying to hold back laughter.

"That is very detailed and obviously well-thought out," he complimented as he scanned the parchment. "Although I'm afraid finding a husband with a castle made of chocolate is going to prove difficult."

Anna had shrugged and laid her work aside. "Well I can give a few things up, as long as he is tall and handsome, and lets me slide across the ballroom barefoot."

"What about kind?" The King asked, taking a seat across from his daughter.

"Of course!" she pointed eagerly to a trait listed towards the middle. "My future prince is going to be perfect."

He laughed and pinched her nose between his fingers briefly. "Your future husband will probably only be perfect because you make him so."

Anna had thought this over very seriously for a moment. "So I have to make my husband?"

The King chuckled again. "No, my dear, I don't think that is possible but I do think that you'll have to forgive him for not meeting every requirement on your list and see that he is trying as hard as he can for you. And you'll have to do the same for him of course."

"That makes no sense." He only smiled and stood to leave his daughter to her work.

"I know, my dear, but it will make more sense when you're older. Much older if I have anything to say about it." He smiled one last time and left the library.

Now Anna couldn't remember if she had finished her list or abandoned it for another lonely adventure. But the words her father had spoken nagged at her; 'Hans' was only perfect because she had made him so. But he had also been perfect from the get go. Impeccable looks, stunning personality, and charming stories of his childhood.

Stories that seemed so sincere as if he'd lived them himself—or someone had been very detailed about their own past.

Anna immediately thought of how quickly Nicolaus had arrived after they'd arrested the impostor. And yes, maybe he really was a distraught brother searching for his younger sibling.

Or he could be a co-conspirator checking up to see if whatever plan he had in place could be salvaged.

The princess didn't get much sleep after that and was still sifting through suspicions when a knock sounded at her door. She'd expected Gerda or one of the other palace staff. Instead Kristoff stood there with a little bundle of daisies drooping in his large fist.

"Hey, good morning! I thought these might make you feel better." He thrust them in her direction, an action that looked overly rehearsed and Anna grinned, momentarily forgetting about anything except for Kristoff.

"Thank you! They're wonderful." She turned to look for something to put them in but was lacking in vases lying around. Instead she spotted a mug she'd used for her late night water break a few days past and placed the flowers in their new home.

"Ta-da!" She announced flourishing her substitution in Kristoff's direction.

"Very nice." He smiled and ran a hand across the back of his neck. "So..._are_ you feeling better?"

She shrugged and turned away to place the flower mug on top of her vanity. "A little. I'll feel a whole lot better after I take a trip to the dungeons."

"Wait, what?" She opened her mouth to repeat herself but froze when she caught a glimpse of her reflection.

"Kristoff!" she screeched. "Why didn't you tell me my hair was this bad?" She really shouldn't scold him since Anna was all too aware of how interesting she could look in the mornings, but this was beyond the usual crazy. One of her pigtails was still haphazardly intact while the other was completely loose and spread in all wild directions. Not to mention she was still wearing her dress from the previous day.

Kristoff for his part seemed unfazed. "Anna, we've traveled through the mountains together. I know what your hair does in the morning."

"Yes but that was different! In the mountains I was just Anna but here I'm—"

"A princess," he mumbled stooping his head down and scuffing a boot against the floor. He seemed to have shrunk in those few seconds. She opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself; that was exactly what she was thinking. Suddenly the chasm between royalty and common folk seemed that much wider.

"Um, I'd better..." She gestured to her hair and twirled in her crumpled dress hoping to ease the tension.

"Oh yeah, sure!" Kristoff said in an overly bright voice. "I'll just wait out here for you to finish up." He gestured to the hallway and practically ran out the door.

Anna sighed and got to work in trying to steel herself for what she was about to do.

* * *

"So tell me again, why are we going to visit a total nutcase?" Kristoff asked for the third time. Nearly all the tension from that morning had disappeared when she revealed that they really were making a trip to the dungeons.

"I just need to talk to him. Something's not right, he knew way too much about the Southern Isles royal family to be coincidence."

"Maybe he read a book or lived there for a few years?" He shrugged. "Just because he knew about them doesn't mean anything other than he did his research."

Anna wanted to snap but knew that Kristoff was only being reasonable. But she was still determined to try for answers of her own.

"I just don't want to blindly trust this whole situation anymore."

"So asking the least trustworthy man we know for answers is the solution?" Sometimes she hated it when he was more logical than her. Yet she was saved from further explanation when they reached the door leading to the dungeons.

"Well I'm going, are you coming or not?" He groaned loudly to voice his discontent but followed her down regardless.

When they reached the bottom they were met by an emotionless guard who did not look like we would be the sort to bend the rules for anyone, even if they bore a royal title.

"I must insist you turn around, Your Highness," he said softly.

"And I must insist to speak with the prisoner. I have a few questions for him." Anna stood to her full height and tried to appear commanding

"You'll not find the answers you're looking for here." The guard stepped forward to usher them both back the way they came but a voice rang out.

"Oh, let the girl ask her questions! Who knows, maybe she'll make me 'crack'." Once that voice sent giddy shivers down her spine, but now she shook for entirely different reasons. _Anger,_ she told herself, _it's only because you're angry and has nothing to do with being scared..._

Anna pushed past the guard and stood in front of the cell where the voice had drifted from. She was happy to note that he looked far less threatening behind bars and sporting a visibly broken nose.

"I must say _princess_, I expected you sooner."

"Hey don't talk to her like that!" Kristoff shoved himself in front of her but left enough space that she could still see him around her protector's arm. She laced her fingers through his own and squeezed to let him know that she appreciated the gesture.

"I have some questions for you." She was immensely proud of herself for speaking without hesitation in her voice. Small victories.

"Fire away." He grinned as if he had not a care in the world, which just served to infuriate her further that he wasn't taking this as seriously as she was.

_Why did you do it?_

_Who are you?_

_Why did you have to break my heart?_

She wanted to blurt out all of these questions but with one look she could tell that these were exactly the inquiries he had been ready for her to ask and she would get nothing from him if she did. If she wanted answers she was going to have to circle around the subject at hand.

"How did you know so much about Hans's family? About his childhood?"

"I asked." He shrugged.

"Who?" He only smiled and she revised her question. "Did you ask one of his brothers?"

"I asked _a_ brother." She felt that his answer may have been important but didn't explore further.

"Was it Nicolaus?" The prisoner actually burst into laughter.

"Of all the princes of the Southern Isles, he is the most unremarkable. The middle child stuck with no way to distinguish himself as anything out of the ordinary. No, him you shouldn't be concerned about."

"But I should be concerned with another prince."

He shrugged. "Someone in that family, most certainly."

Anna was frustrated with herself. She felt as if he were giving something important but they still talked in circles. She knew if she continued in this way she'd lose her temper and then they'd getting nothing else out of him. She was at a loss as to what ask next when Kristoff spoke up with a question of his own.

"How old was the prince?" Anna startled at the question and inspected the prisoner to see if it had made any impact.

"Fifteen next month, so I'm told." He smiled, widely and sincerely. "And before you ask, no, I don't regret it." Her mouth went dry at his unrepentant tone. "I kept that kid around for days just to milk him for information. Some things he poured out and others he kept locked up like a safe. But I will tell you this much Princess Anna," he looked her dead in the eyes. "That boy suffered. Everyday a little more pain. And I regret it about as much as I regret leaving you in that room to die unloved and without hope."

There was a tug on her arm and Anna thought it might have been Kristoff but her vision was so blurred she couldn't quite tell. At first she thought she had started to cry again but realized it was anger coursing through her veins. She was literally so angry she couldn't see straight.

Another tug came and she whirled on Kristoff but saw that he was clenching the bars as if he would like to tear them in half and then do the same to the prisoner. Instead it was the guard who prompted her away from the cell front, grabbing at Kristoff's arm too he pushed them both toward the entrance.

"Perhaps it is time for some fresh air, yes?" The guard asked over the loud insane laughter that had suddenly erupted from the cell they had vacated.

Anna could only nod and make her way up the stairs. If she spoke now she would only fly back down there and demand more answers or scream as many profanities as she knew coupled with a few threats of her own.

She felt Kristoff walking beside her and wondered if it was her anger or his that seemed to swelter in the air.

* * *

Nicolaus had kept his reactions in check when Elsa revealed her powers but as he walked through the long corridor he was tempted to run back to his rooms and give off the surprised yelp that was still waiting on his tongue.

She had powers—_ice powers_!

Things like that just didn't happen in the real world. In this existence everyone was born on equal footing where no one person was given powerful gifts greater than a handful of others on this earth, enough that they could begin a military campaign so successful it would virtually bring all under their rule.

Power was tempting, desperately so. It could warp the mind until nothing was left except a hungry soul, barely human.

Or at least that is what his father used to drill into their studies. The late king's own father had been a tyrant, nearly cruel in his reign but a terrible military leader. The Southern Isles had once ruled over a large portion of the mainland to the west of them, almost three times the size of the islands they claimed now. And in one lifetime it was completely lost; all because his grandfather was incapable of seeing past the glory that could be.

When the next king took the throne after a particularly bloody battle that ended with a dead leader and a newly detached country ruling all on its own, he swore that he would learn from his father's mistakes and in turn each of his children were reminded of the price power had claimed from their once great nation.

This new queen was capable of setting out for more land, more wealth, just like his grandfather.

And yet...

Nicolaus had seen the way she looked at him with shame in her eyes. Queen Elsa may have displayed her powers as if she couldn't care one way or the other whether he was terrified of her but her mask had slipped and now he knew the opposite was true.

Whatever steps she had taken recently to reveal her powers to the people, and from this 'Great Freeze' he kept hearing of he could guess that it was not an insignificant display, she still hadn't quite come to terms with what she could do.

She obviously still scared herself on some level.

Of course, he wasn't going to tell her that he had read her like an open book when she let slip the myriad of emotions coursing through her mind. She'd obviously taken great pains to perfect that mask she wore like it was part of her everyday outfit, but he suspected she'd never had to practice it on many foreign dignitaries. Not when she was locked up in a castle for most of her life.

He knew all about that of course. It was just like a fairy tale for many of the princes his own age, including his brothers. They'd play pretend stories of sailing off to Arendelle to rescue the captured princesses from whatever villain held them locked away in the tower, sometimes it was a dragon or a mountain lion three times bigger than normal. Once they'd even rescued them from the clutches of his long dead grandfather and his wicked ways.

They'd always succeeded heroically in their quests and then the game usually ended with arguing over which princess would marry whom and who got to be king of Arendelle after that.

Turns out they were right, she did need rescuing, but it was the kind she would only be able to do for herself.

Nicolaus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, knotting his fingers through the slight curls at the end. Although every part of him initially _wanted_ to be scared of the queen, now he just couldn't quite manage the same amount of fear. She was terrified of herself enough for all of them anyway.

_Besides_, he thought with a grin, _she's far too generous to be afraid of. _Which led him back to thoughts of his missing brother and whatever fate he may have met.

His stomach sank to his knees again without distracting thoughts of ice powers and frightened queens and he was reminded that Hans might still be out there dealing with no small amount of terror of his own. Or he could be dead and abandoned in the ocean...

Nicolaus ground his teeth hard until he could hear his jaw click. His brother was not dead! He wouldn't allow it! But as the sudden surge of steadfastness faded, he reminded himself that he had no choice in the matter. Dead or no, he would search until he ran out of resources and that was all he could do.

The prince had been roaming the halls with no destination in mind, until he found himself staring at the thick door leading to the dungeons below. He'd been here the night before; after writing the difficult letter to his family back home, he'd become so angry he wanted to storm down to the prisoner and beat him until he gave up every bit of information he knew of Hans fate.

But the logical part of his brain reminded him that no amount of fighting was going to get this prisoner to talk and he wasn't sure he'd have the self-restraint to stop if he started.

He was about to walk away again, perhaps to plan a few more ideas that probably wouldn't work anyway, when the door leading to the dungeons opened suddenly and he was met with the sight of a _very_ livid princess and a large male counterpart who seemed just as angry although he was attempting to calm his companion.

"I told you going down there wasn't going—" They both came to a standstill when they noticed Nicolaus watching them curiously.

"Good morning," he greeted and Anna looked away as red crept up her cheeks, although he wasn't sure if it was due to her still raging fury or from embarrassment. Still she said nothing, merely curtsied in his direction and he followed with a bow.

"I gather you've had an interesting start to the day?" He gestured to the dungeon entrance. Still they said nothing and he only sighed. "Did you at least get anything out of him?"

"Just accusations against someone in your family." The princess spat but he sensed her anger was not aimed at him. Still the thought that she might believe these slanderings had him immediately on the edge.

"Oh, and did he give any clues as to whom it may be? Because I'm sure you are not accusing one of _my_ siblings of this monstrosity." She took a few steps forward and drew herself to her full height and Nicolaus did the same.

"As a matter of fact—" She began to speak but was cut off by a large palm placed gently on her shoulder.

"Should we really be fighting over something a proven liar told us to get a rise out of both sides? I mean, the guy was clearly a madman." Nicolaus deflated under his words and he saw the princess doing the same.

"You're right, Kristoff." She shot him a smile that spoke of far more than just friendship. He wanted to make a verbal note of how quickly she had moved on from 'Loki' but held his tongue in the interest of keeping the peace. Instead he stepped back and nodded his own concession to this Kristoff fellow.

"I'm sorry," he heard her say in a quiet voice. "Really I am. He just got to me down there."

Nicolaus nodded, "I understand. Truth be told that is why I have not ventured down myself. I'm afraid we might end up with a dead prisoner and less answers than questions."

The trio stood around awkwardly, each unsure of how to break the tension. Finally the need to know what was revealed down there became too much for him to bear.

"So," he cleared his throat and both pairs of eyes looked up simultaneously, "what exactly did he say?" He could already tell by glance they exchanged and the hesitant breath the princess drew that he wasn't going to like his answer, whether it was truth or not.

"Well—" She began but was cut off when someone shouted his turned in shock, not only in the way that they called for him without the use of his title, but also because there was true terror in that voice.

Queen Elsa rushed toward them, winded as if she had sped the entire way. "I was looking all over for you! You have to come with me now!"

Without hesitation she grabbed his hand and tugged and he was too anxious to protest. She was visibly shaken and he thought he could see tears in her eyes. So he followed and did not need to look back to know that the princess and her companion were right behind.

"What is it?" he asked frantically, but they were moving too quickly and his voice didn't carry as far. Still she answered him without slowing.

"The soldiers they found something—_someone_. We need you to see if you recognize them." She didn't elaborate but his heart leapt.

"Hans! You found Hans?" He stopped them short and moved closer in his excitement but her face showed that she did not share his enthusiasm.

"Possibly, but...it's n-not good. I just want you to be ready for it. I mean they're still alive, for now, but I...it's just not a very promising situation…"

Nicolaus took a shuddering breath. If Queen Elsa looked upset by what she had seen than he would find it worse, if it turned out to be Hans after all.

"Lead on," he said and she nodded before hurrying off again, their hands still clasped firmly together. And all the while he couldn't tell if his heart beat in terrified anticipation because they really had found his brother—or because it wasn't Hans who was so mangled up it had visibly shaken up a queen whose greatest fear was herself.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A always thank you SO much for the reviews, they really do work as a motivator and I appreciate each of them.**_

_**This one gets a little graphic, just so you are all aware. Nothing too descriptive but there is blood and mentions of torture and mutilation.**_

_**Also I'm not sure how quickly the next chapter will be out. I am traveling this weekend so downtime might be a bit rare, or I might be swimming in it, it's hard to tell this early in the game.**_

* * *

Tor hadn't expected the disassembling of the false floor to take so long but after they realized that many of the boards were strategically zigzagged with those that actually served as the bottom of the boat, progress became slow. It wouldn't do to sink the ship after something so critical had been discovered.

He'd stopped being useful the moment someone had produced a pry bar, so instead he stood to the side and watched growing steadily more bored with each passing second. In all those stories he'd heard of heroes unveiling important clues, they'd failed to mention the monotonous work that went into revealing such critical moments.

He barely finished counting the number of barrels kept on the lower deck before there was a triumphant shout and all the soldiers surged forward to get a better look, Tor included. Only one of the Southern Isles men actually descended.

"Oh God, it stinks!" a few men chuckled at his yelp and then all was silent, waiting for the news. It wasn't a very large room by Tor's calculations but time seemed to stretch as no word came.

Finally they heard the soldier swear loudly and it wasn't the words he used that had them all shifting uneasily, but the way a hysteric edge had bled into his tone.

"There's a _person_ down here!" Hell broke loose after that. Two more men jumped in and a few escaped up the stairs. The rest pressed even further to try to catch a glimpse.

It didn't take long until a bundle of mangled cloth emerged from the pit. The smell was overwhelming, a mixture of blood and waste, it nearly had him gagging. But, he was distracted from the stench when a pale skeletal arm slid from it's bind and dangled to the side, flashing the numerous cuts and bruises that marred the skin.

That did not look like the arm of a living person.

"Is he alive?!" One soldier shouted out at the same time as one of his comrades.

"Is it the prince?" Tor was interested in the answer to both these questions, and waited anxiously as the man clutching the bundle in his arms shifted lower to allow another to look for a pulse.

"He's alive," Everyone gathered seemed to let out a simultaneous breath at the news, "Though I'm not sure for how much longer."

"But is it Prince Hans?!" Another voice rang out. Tor didn't know much about the prince, only what he'd heard from the soldiers he'd conversed with while guarding the ship, but he knew that bundle looked about the right size to shelter a young man who had probably been many days without proper food or water.

The men who fussed over the body seemed to agree and they set to work on removing the cloth from the boys head. Until it suddenly slid away at they were met with their first sight of his face.

Tor really did gag at the sight and was comforted to know that he was not the only one. He wasn't sure anyone would be able to identify the poor lad, not with so many heavy slashes crisscrossing above the bridge of his nose. That boy would never be able to see again. The gashes went so deep, Tor wasn't sure he even _had_ eyes anymore.

"I can't tell... I think it might be, he has the right facial shape but I'm just not sure." The man holding the bundle admitted in a low voice.

"We have to notify Prince Nicolaus." One man spoke out.

"He needs a healer first, you dolt!" Another shouted cuffing his companion in the back of the head. Tor would have found this quite funny if he could only concentrate on something other than those bloody wounds staring back at him.

"We can take him to the palace, the best healers are housed there. If we wrap him in a sheet then no one on the streets will take him as more than just a sack of cloth." One of Arendelles own suggested and many of the soldiers nodded approvingly.

The man closet to the exit moved towards the steps and was nearly run over by a returning soldier, one of those who had raced off at the first mention of a person kept beneath the ship. "I couldn't find the Prince," he huffed, still fighting for breath, "But the Queen is waiting for us. She's already called for a physician."

The Southern Isle soldiers that surrounded him looked impressed and Tor felt a surge of pride for his queen. She didn't even have all the details and she was already putting plans in place to be of the most use.

Racing footsteps on the stairs alerted them to the return of the man sent to fetch a sheet. He held it out to the two who guarded the body and they set to work. At first they tried to remove the soiled cloth covering the lad, but there were more cuts littering his body and many of them had scabbed over while connected to the rags; tugging at the fabric only opened the wounds again.

They'd opted to simply place him on the sheet directly and wrapped him from there. Then like a morbid little parade, the first man hefted the bundle into his arms as gently as he could, and began making his way up the stairs followed by most of his comrades.

Tor couldn't move, he stood frozen finding it difficult to fill his lungs. One of the men who had yet to leave, the soldier who had determined that the boy was still alive, spotted him.

"You're the one who found that pit, weren't you?" he asked, moving closer.

"I uh..." He wanted to mention the girl and her annoyingly persistent habits and how she had probably spent many futile hours trying to keep that kid alive. Even to the point of shoving food down a hole although its inhabitant couldn't _see_ the offering she left him.

But his tongue was thick in his mouth and scraped along his cheek like sandpaper, so he said nothing. Only nodded.

The soldier answered his nod with one of his own. Then he gestured to the stairs, nudging the younger man along. "Your queen will want to meet you."

"Oh no. I'm sure you could just put in a good word for me and that'll do." He finally found his voice and stepped back. He didn't want to meet the queen or bask in the recognition or have anything else to do with this whole situation.

It had been exhilarating at first. He was a hero! The one who had discovered the could-be prince and set him free from his vile dungeon with the help of a female companion. It had been just like the stories! He had always dreamed of an adventure worthy of a storybook.

But this was not a heroic tale. And there was no happy ending for this situation.

That could-be prince was just a boy who had been tortured and maimed beyond recognition. Villains hardly ever brutally harmed the young in all the stories he had ever read. And Tor was no hero. He was just a former thief who had ignored a frantic girl until it was nearly to late.

He just wanted out of all of this, to escape away from the horrid reality. It was what he was best at, he was a runner.

The soldier didn't give him the opportunity to bolt, however. He clapped a hand behind Tors neck and leaned in close to whisper to the thief. "Listen boy, one of my princes is a bloody mess, and the other is barely hanging on by a thread. You have a bright mind and we're going to need you."

"We don't know that he is the prince." The grip on his neck tightened.

"It doesn't matter!" The soldier hissed. "I am going to continue as if he is and you are going to help because it's too late for you to walk away from this now."

Tor wanted to argue that it was never to late to walk away – or flee if that was his preference. But the man ushered him up the stairs all the while maintaining a firm hand to lead him. He never got the opportunity to run for good.

* * *

Elsa had intended to meet with her advisers, and a few of the naval captains, to inform them of her decision to aide in the search of Prince Hans.

However, when she had almost finished giving instructions a young maid who would send out her summons, the door to her study opened with a bang as it slammed against the wall revealing two very winded soldiers.

"Your Majesty!" one of them cried out as the other huffed for breathe beside him.

"Gentlemen please," She hoped her tone remained steady as she gestured to the few chairs adorning her room. The sight of them had her panicked, trails of ice streamed from the fingers splayed carefully against her desk. She could worry about that later, for now she had to focus on the task at hand.

"There's no time!" The original speaker demanded before he remembered exactly who it was he spoke to. "I'm sorry my queen, but we've just come from Prince Hans ship. They've found someone, in a secret room!"

Elsa whirled on the maid who still stood there, gaping open mouthed at both parties. "Find me a physician." The girl scurried away to do as told.

"Was it the prince?" She asked in a hopeful voice.

"We don't know, Your Majesty. A room was found, hidden at the bottom of the ship. It took some time to get it opened and when they said that there was someone down there we ran straight here." Both soldiers nodded solemnly and Elsa fought back irritation. She wished they had stayed a little longer to gather more details but she would work with what she had.

"Thank you gentlemen. Your quick action does you credit." Neither of them smiled at the praise and she hoped they hadn't sensed that she had expected more from them. "Is one of you able to return and check up on the situation. Have them bring the poor soul here if they can manage."

The soldier who had seemed less harrowed by his earlier run, immediately sprang out the door without another word. Elsa was beginning to appreciate how truly dedicated her subjects were.

"We don't even know if he is still alive." The silent one finally spoke up, drawing the queens attention. "This could all be for naught."

"I understand, but we have to try nonetheless." She kept her voice light but internally she was worried. If it was Prince Hans and he had been on the ship the entire time, than he would have been held captive during the freeze. There would have been nothing to shield him from the painful cold.

The guilt weighed heavy on her mind. If that boy died it was very possible that she had contributed to his demise.

_Nonsense,_ she tried to reassure herself as she swept out of her room and towards the entry hall. _If this is anyone's fault it's "Loki's"._ And while she could repeat this to herself a hundred times there was still a part of her that wondered if the hidden captive had suffered more because of her powers.

The remaining soldier followed behind, his stance had eased as if he were doing no more than guarding the queen.

It didn't take long to reach their destination and they crossed paths with the summoned physician who informed them that he would set up in a room down the hall, not stopping once in his rush to get ready.

Elsa knew she should have gone for Prince Nicolaus, but she didn't want to raise his hopes if it ended up not being his brother. And likewise she did not want to retrieve him if all the soldiers could deliver was a corpse, not until they could give him more facts at least.

She could feel the minutes bleed into each other as they silently waited. She had even begun to pace when the doors opened, she still jumped even though they made no crashing noises. A slow procession trailed in, led by a soldier of the Southern Isles holding a bundle in his arms that took on the vague shape of a person.

"Is he...?" She didn't finish but they all knew what she was asking.

"No your majesty, we just kept him covered from the townspeople." Nodding, she gestured for them to follow her leading them to the physicians room where the old man had already set up his instruments. The one carrying the bundle gently laid his cargo out on the bed though he did not remove the coverings. Elsa noticed and said nothing.

"Is it the prince?" Again her eager tone sprang out. The soldier exchanged a hesitant look with one of his own.

"We don't know, we can't tell."

"How can you not tell? Isn't he your prince?" She barked without thinking. It wouldn't be that shocking, many people didn't recognize their own royal families. After all, Arendelle hadn't seen their queen until she was twenty-one.

"His face has been... altered." One of the guards spoke up, obviously offended by her earlier tone. "I'm not sure his own mother would recognize him."

The other soldiers glared at the speaker, and Elsa felt suddenly glad that the body was still covered.

"I don't have his mother, but perhaps a brother would serve just as well?"

"Yes, he probably would." The closest man said although he seemed hesitant. She could understand, she wasn't sure if she wanted to subject Prince Nicolaus to this is the soldiers were as uncomfortable as they seemed to be.

Still he deserved to know.

"I'll retrieve him." Elsa decided she would go herself instead of sending a runner, she needed to get away from this place. She watched as the physician started to unravel the sheet, exposing more rags in serious disarray, and a stench she hoped to never come across again.

"That is a good idea, Your Majesty." A few of them bowed to her and turned away.

As she walked out the door she remembered that she was going to ask about the hidden room on the ship, and turned back to grab one of the soldiers. She immediately wished she hadn't.

The doctor had finished removing the last of the covering, revealing the face that laid underneath. Elsa wanted to scream. It was a young face, that much she could tell but angry, bloody gashes replaced his eyes. She now knew why they weren't able to positively identify him.

His body was jostled and his head flopped to the side. Now she had an unaltered view and the bile rose in her throat. She had never in all of her years seen something so horrid. Even when Anna was a frozen husk, she still maintained her physical appearance.

Elsa couldn't take it anymore. She fled, running hard and fast in search of Nicolaus. Although she wasn't sure if it was to summon him – or warn him away.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Sorry about the wait, got back from vacation last night. This chapter might seem a bit choppy, I wrote the first half before I left on vacation and I finished the second part when I got back. **_

_**As always thank you for the reviews, they keep this story afloat. Keep em' coming!**_

* * *

"Anna, maybe it would be best if you stayed back." They'd been traveling silently through the last few corridors save for huffing breaths and heavy footfalls, Nicolaus felt a jolt of shock at the sudden noise of the queens voice. The princess was visibly unimpressed with her sisters suggestion.

"I want to help!" He thought she might actually stomp her foot to go along with the fists she planted on her hips, but she seemed to hold back from a total display of discontent.

"No Anna. This isn't the time." Queen Elsa shook her head.

"But you get to-"

"Would you just listen to me?!" Her voice had a hysterical edge now. "I don't want you to see this!"

Immediately the princess dropped her pose and looked at her sister in concern. Nicolaus hadn't know Elsa long enough to determine her 'normal coloring' but the greyish-green tint that altered her skin tone seemed out of the ordinary. And evidently Anna agreed because she stepped forward just as the queen wrapped her arms tight against herself and turned away.

"Elsa... I-I'm sorry, I know you're just trying to protect me." She rested a hand against her sisters shoulder, rubbing a thumb against the swell where her joints met. "Kristoff and I can maybe go talk to some of the other soldiers, see if they have any information."

The queen nodded and glanced back at Anna, she wasn't crying but her eyes were glazed from exhaustion – or maybe terror. That was thought that caused beads of nervous sweat to break out along his temple; whatever the queen saw had physically changed her. Now he wasn't sure if he even wanted to go down there, he wished he could borrow some magic from the queen, bend it to serve his own purpose and travel back to when his king allowed their eager youngest brother to venture out on his own.

Kristoff stepped forward and laced his fingers through Anna's, gently tugging her away from Elsa. They turned and made their way down the hall hands still firmly clasped.

Nicolaus watched them walk away for only a moment more before turning back to the queen. "Your Majesty? How bad is it?"

She glanced over at him, she seemed to breathe easier now that her sister was gone. He saw her battle internally for a moment, then decide that he would know soon enough anyway.

"A young man," She started, her voice soft and even as though she were only describing one of the paintings hanging on the wall. "Probably around your brothers age. He has some serious injuries."

"And my soldiers, they weren't able to say whether it was him or not?" Elsa shook her head.

"The most evident wound takes up most of his face."

"Most of his face?! What does that even mean?" He wanted to step forward and shake her til she spilled all the answers he needed to hear.

"His eyes were cut. They're gone and the scarring is heavy." She shrugged and he watched her shoulder tremble as it lifted. "Or from what I saw anyway, I left to find you." _To run away_ the unspoken truth rang between them.

The edges of his sight tunneled black and for the second time since he'd met her Nicolaus stumbled against the queen, but she held his shoulders to steady him, just like before.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. He looked in her eyes briefly – then without warning he bolted away. He was vaguely aware of her calling his name but he didn't slow. His mind was churning.

_He has some serious injuries._

_His eyes were cut._

_They're gone._

Her words flowed around him holding all rational thought in an icy grip just like the powers she wielded.

"It's not my brother," he muttered to himself, "It's just a trick, just like everything else Loki has conjured."

He wasn't quite sure where he was going but he assumed he was close when he ran into a few of his soldiers waiting in the castle entryway. They fixed him with pitying looks and he wanted to scream at them. _It's not MY brother!_

He rushed down a hallway where more of his soldiers loitered, one pointed to a room and Nicolaus burst through the door. The air was heavy with the smell of blood and bitter medicines, he was hazily aware of a doctor standing up and shouting orders at him; but he only pushed the man away and fell to his knees beside the bed.

"Oh God!" His voice came out strained, "Hans?!"

A line of cloth was wrapped into a cap around the top of his head stretching to encompass all the way to rise of his nose. Stitched cuts that went lower were covered with bits of gauze. Despite all this there was no denying it was indeed his brother. There was the scar under his chin from when he'd been thrown from his horse and a birthmark creeping along the hairline that he'd sworn looked like the capitol of their largest island. But most telling was the shape of his face. He got that from his mother – they all did.

The physician stepped next to him, realizing that he was close to the patient and no longer tried to expel him from the room. He began to talk, describing the wounds his brother had received at the hands of a monster. Terms like "deep lacerations" and "surgically cut" floated through the air along side phrases such as "infection has set in," and "May not make it."

"Show me." Nicolaus demanded.

"Your Highness, I'm not so sure that would be-"

"SHOW ME!" He roared leaping to his feet, he pressed his face close to the other mans and saw the fear there. He did not care.

"Nicolaus!" A sharp voice called out. He turned and saw the queen standing there, the only one in a sea of faces that wasn't staring at him wide eyed and afraid. "You're making this worse."

He sighed and nodded looking back to apologize but the physician was already moving to the other side of the bed, gently unwinding bandages.

The prince forgot to draw breath as bit by bit his brothers mutilated face was revealed. He was aware of Elsa standing next to him, the sudden decrease in temperature revealed her anxious discomfort.

Finally the last of the bandages fell away, small bits of gauze still stuck to the edges of deep clean cuts, but for the most part he had an unhindered view.

The longer he stared at the angry red gashes, the more livid he became. They centered around where Hans's eyes should have been but their depths revealed that those were probably gone too.

_This is my brother_, he thought. _And now my brother is broken._

Bile rose to his throat. He'd seen blood, torn tissue, and revealed bones before, but never had they hit him so personally; never had they happened to one of his own family.

He had to get out of here, he backed away from the bed and the boy it held, he had to leave before the world fell away from his feet. He turned and walked out the door, exhaustion filled his limbs preventing him from breaking out into a run.

He escaped without a destination in mind but he had a faint idea of where he might end up.

* * *

Elsa had tried to run after him when he broke away from her in that hallway, she could kick herself for telling him too soon about the injuries sustained by the young man. Now she was quickly walking down the corridors not at all concerned that he would find his way.

She was fighting against the urge to retreat in the other direction, she'd seen enough to last her a lifetime of nightmares. Yet still she moved forward; to find if it truly was the prince or to see if there was perhaps something she could _do_ to ease the suffering this whole situation had caused. She kept reassuring herself that these were the only reasons to explain why she continued toward the entry hall and not because she couldn't shake the sadness she felt when she watched the life flee Prince Nicolaus' eyes, certainly not because she was concerned for him.

Elsa reached the entry hall and heard a voice cry out in despair. "Hans?!" His words carried out to the soldiers that surrounded her, each of them ducked their their heads in hopelessness. She wanted to join them, perhaps even shed a few tears for the confirmed prince, but that would do nothing. Instead she carried herself taller hoping that she was properly hiding the anguish surging in her chest.

She reached her destination just as the physician finished describing the boys condition to his brother. Nicolaus didn't seem to be listening, he had fallen to his knees and his head had drooped so low to the bed she had thought at first that he had been resting against the covers.

After taking in the details of the rest of the room she finally allowed her gaze to land on the patient and was immediately relieved to see that the healer had worked quickly on his charge, while she had been gone he had finished cleaning and bandaging the worst of the wounds.

She heard the prince mutter something and wondered what he had asked as the doctor tried to detour him from his request. Elsa was still staring at Hans when suddenly Nicolaus leapt to his feet, roaring into the physicians face.

He was no longer the Prince who had sulked through her halls and laughed at her powers over breakfast. Now his face twisted into a furious mask and she was terrified, but she refused to show it.

"Nicolaus!" She barked, she allowed a moment of pride at the authority that had decorated her tone. "You're making this worse."

He seemed to realize how he was acting, his shoulders dropped and his features smoothed over to allow shame to shine though. He stared at her for a moment and she stood taller, concerned that he would revert back to his rage.

Instead he turned back to the physician, an apology ready on his lips but the man had already moved to the bed and Elsa's heart beat faster, thudding against her ribs. He was going to show the wounds. She would have to see it again. She tried to exit the room but most of the soldiers blocked the door, eager for a glimpse of their own.

She focused on Nicolaus instead, he watched the unveiling as if in a trance, the worry lines marked his brow. Elsa knew the moment Hans' face was finally revealed, anguish filled his eyes and he began to tremble, she wasn't even sure he was aware he was doing it. The color had drained from his face and she worried he might be sick all over the physicians hard work.

But instead he fled, backing quickly to the exit he finally turned and stormed out, each of the soldiers parted ways for him but none followed.

Elsa did however. She had seen his eyes as he passed her and the terrifying rage was back. She followed him because she knew exactly where he was going and she worried he wouldn't be able to control himself if he came face to face with their prisoner.

* * *

Nicolaus hadn't even noticed time passing before he found himself in front of the doors leading to the dungeon. Without hesitation he flung the heavy wood open and marched down the stair case. He was met by a single guard who opened his mouth to protest but Nicolaus heard none of it. His ears were ringing and red tinted his vision. He could practically taste the fury on his tongue.

The cell he was looking for was the first one, the prisoner was shackled to the wall at five points and the bars separating them were doubled and reinforced. The prince wasn't sure that would be enough to keep him from tearing through.

"You've ruined him!" his voice thundered, reverberating off the stone walls. "Loki" showed no fear, only looked up and grinned widely.

"Oh good, you found him. I was starting to get worried, wouldn't want all my hard work to go to waste." The madman laughed and shrugged as if they were only speaking of a painting he had spent days on.

Nicolaus's teeth snapped shut with an audible click, he couldn't get words out. They were jumbled in a stream of rage and loathing all aimed at this bastard who wad destroyed his brother.

He wasn't aware of another visitor until the queen gripped his shoulder, her icy fingers brushed against his neck and cooled some of the fury that tightened his muscles.

"Ah, Your Majesty!" Loki smiled at her charmingly, "I am just blessed with so many royal visitors today, but if I had known you were coming I'd have cleaned up a little"

"I prefer that you remain silent, unless it is to answer our questions." She left the emotion out of her voice but he could tell she was fighting against disgust.

"Well, if silence is what you prefer, I can be _very_ accommodating." His eyes traveled a lewd path down her body and her lip curled back in distaste at the gesture. Nicolaus, for his part, blew up in outrage.

"How dare you! You impudent piece of shit!" More curses flew from his mouth which only served to make the prisoners smile widen with each jab. Finally the prince calmed enough to speak a command through gritted teeth. "You leave her alone."

"Ah defensive aren't we? Trying to rise in the ranks of royalty? I must say though if you're looking for an in you should probably turn you attention towards the younger sister. Less of a frigid bitch in my opinion."

This time Nicolaus didn't have the opportunity to lash out, instead ice crusted around the cuffs chaining him to the wall.

"I can make this hurt _Loki_. Don't tempt me."He was surprised that she had done that but when she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye he recognized her guilt. Even the threat and small display had made her ashamed of herself.

Luckily the prisoner seemed to buy the act for he said no more. Instead tilted his head back and studied the both of them through lowered eyes.

"Why?" Nicolaus finally asked. "Why not just kill him? Why make him suffer like that?"

Loki shrugged, "I suppose I'm just partial to the sight of blood."

"But you had the rest of the crew," The prisoner grinned sadistically and Nicolaus tried not to guess their fate. He mourned them from afar but he was too occupied with his brother to dwell on them. "Why did you keep him around? You weren't even going to ransom him."

Loki said nothing only settled against the wall as if her were readying himself for sleep. The message was clear; the conversation was over. But Nicolaus wanted one last parting shot.

"You'd better pray my brother survives this ordeal, or I'm sure we can come up with ways to make you regret your travesties."

"No one has a bigger imagination than me."

"Than perhaps I'll just kill you know."

The prisoner eyed him as if bored, "Doubtful, you're an insignificant son of a failing kingdom. Your big brother won't allow you to execute me, not when people will come from all over the continent to watch a monster be cut down. If you kill me now you rob your kingdom of all that heroic glory."

Nicolaus couldn't answer that, he knew he was right, his brother would want to make an example of him and he had never really yearned for the opportunity to take a life. But at this moment he could understand the appeal of it.

He'd forgotten Elsa was there until she wrapped a had in the crook of his elbow. "Come on, we wont get anything but lies from here."

"Better listen to your lady, wouldn't want to upset her." The prisoner shook his chains displaying the ice still frozen to his shackles.

The queen fixed him with a look of contempt and then tugged and Nicolaus' arm. They left without saying any more to him and Loki mimicked their example.

* * *

"Are you alright?" She kept her voice soft so to not startle him out of his thoughts. They walked along the hallway without a destination in mind. He'd kept her hand tucked into the crook of his arm and she was starting to feel anxious about it, worried that the stress of the day coupled with the sadness and anger stirring in her veins would make her control slip. She'd already trailed her finger tips against a decorative table and left streaks of ice during their walk.

He didn't answer right away only kept their pace and she didn't disturb him further.

"I'm just thinking about my brother, trying to picture his face before it was... y'know, _before_." Elsa nodded but he didn't wait for her reaction before continuing. "I think my siblings and I did him an injustice."

"How so?" She asked.

"He was the youngest, the baby. We spoiled him, never let him do anything for himself or build up his own idea of the world. He was nearly fifteen and we still treated him as if he hadn't reached twelve yet. And I think it stunted him, made him emotionally immature. He was well on his way to being a man and he had the common sense of someone years younger. I mean he slept with a comfort quilt for Gods sake."

He stopped for a moment, it was the perfect opportunity for Elsa to slip her hand away from his arm. But she kept it there, squeezing gently to convey support.

"We were content to lock him away with his fantasy books and imagination. Simply because we wanted to keep him from the world, keep him safe." She felt suddenly uncomfortable, visions of Anna chatting up the pictures in the portrait hall came to mind. She wondered if maybe shoving her sister aside to keep her safe hadn't done more damage than just the emotional kind. And she was no better, panic still seized her throat every time she stood in an area with more than a handful of people, a terrible trait for a _queen_. Maybe they'd suffered more damage than just missed childhood moments and abandonment issues.

Nicolaus hadn't noticed her anxious musings or the way she tugged at her skirts. "Maybe if we'd let him grow up, act his own age, he'd have sensed the danger."

"This isn't your fault. Loki would have gotten away with it anyway, whether your brother walked into a trap blindly or not."

The prince nodded and glanced down, unable to meet her eyes. She didn't push him to speak further but wished that he would, if only to distract her. She was still fighting guilt over the ever increasing list of damage she'd inflicted onto Anna over the years.

"He won't be able to read his books anymore." It was almost a whisper but Elsa still caught it.

"There are other ways for him to 'read,' he seems like a bright young man. I'm sure he can learn." But she knew there was more to it than that. There was a great number of things he'd "never" be able to do and reading his books was just one of them.

"If he survives." Nicolaus grimaced as if the words pained him, she imagined they did.

"I have some of the best physicians in my service. He'll make it through." She wasn't actually sure of their quality, she'd never left her room long enough to sustain an injury worthy of a doctor, but if they were employed to the queen then they must be some of the best she had to offer.

"One can only hope I suppose." He quirked his lips at her in an attempt to smile. Drawing her hand away from its place on his arm he brushed his lips over her knuckles before stepping back. "I fear I am not very good company, Your Majesty. I think it best if I retire for the night."

She could only nod as he turned away, heading in the direction of his rooms.

Her skin still tingled from his kiss, up until the previous week it had been years since she'd last been touched, especially on her gloved hands.

She tried to reason that the lack of stimulation over such a long period of time had made her skin particularly sensitive and that was the only reason she felt something flutter in her chest. Because she knew it would be absolutely ridiculous to become giddy over a prince who was dealing with such emotional turmoil he didn't know if he was coming or going.

They had bigger problems to deal with, resolutely she decided to drop the idea entirely and pretend she'd never been affected.

Still, as she walked towards her own rooms she felt a blush staining her cheeks, despite the harrowing day.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Please review if you have the time or desire, I work quicker when I get reviews. Plus it lets me know if I'm doing well or not.**_

* * *

Tor was relieved when the soldier led him to the barracks instead of where ever it was the rest of the Southern Isle soldiers were located, he felt more at ease on familiar ground. A few of his own comrades were already there whispering amongst those lounging off-duty, the news of the imprisoned boy had already spread like wildfire. But he noticed some were still missing, probably stayed behind to watch the crew and prevent anyone from tampering with the scene.

"Um," He started suppressing the urge to flinch when the soldier turned to look at him. He no longer held a steel grip around his neck but he was no less afraid of him. "There was a girl on the ship..."

"A sweetheart, eh? Shouldn't be fraternizing with prisoners, won't do you any good in the future."

"Uh no, not a sweetheart," he recoiled at the thought, he had interacted with her twice and during each of those times she made her contempt for him very clear, "One of the prisoners actually helped me to discover the room, she'd been trying to care for the captive."

The soldier nodded, "Wish she had spoken up when we were questioning all of them."

"I'll bet she tried, the girl had no tongue. I'm not an expert but I'd say it had been cut." Tor searched the other mans face but could read nothing. "I just... I wouldn't have found the room without her so I thought that m-maybe we should help her? Maybe bring her to the castle?"

He was met with a sigh, "That's an honorable thought, but the truth of the matter is she was found with the crew, she may have contributed. We just don't know yet, I'm sorry but I think it's best if she remain on the ship under watch until we are able to question them again."

Tor understood, it made sense to tread lightly when it came to finding answers, but the decision still still rankled him. That girl had done more than any of them to reveal a secret location, yet still they treated her like an enemy.

He must have been pouting because the soldier gripped his shoulder in a large palm and muttered, "Get over it."

He was sorely tempted to whip away from the other mans hold and go sulk in his bunk when the door to the barracks opened and a flurry of movement met the princesses arrival.

"Your Highness." The soldiers all murmured in tandem, each bowing their heads a few glanced in suspicion at her companion; the Ice Harvester turned consort, not too many people were pleased with that arrangement. Princess Anna nodded and smiled thinly, before zeroing in on the only member of the Southern Isle army in their midst.

"The queen requests a full report of today's events." The princess stood tall and placed a hand on her hip before faltering a bit, "I-I mean please, if you know what happened or anything." She twirled her other hand as that would cover what "anything" might mean.

"Certainly your highness." The soldier bowed properly and then shoved Tor forward. "This young man can give you a detailed report."

If he didn't hate that man before, he certainly did now. He stumbled and bowed awkwardly, nearly falling forward, quite embarrassing for a former thief. "Well I-I guess I can-I mean yes, your highness!"

So before mortification completely robbed him of the ability to speak he began retelling the events, starting at the beginning with how he'd picked his way though the lock on the captains door and describing the strange maimed girl who had helped him discover the secret room and the captive held with-in.

When he described the boys wounds the princess visibly recoiled, her companion placed a comforting hand around her shoulder and she relaxed against him but the action earned a few more displeased glances from some of his comrades.

"You are a very skilled soldier, we're lucky to have you." She spoke with such sincerity that Tor believed her and for the first time since the might-be prince was brought up from his hidden confines, Tor felt pleased with himself.

The princess turned to the Southern Isles soldier, "And this girl, where is she?"

"Still being kept on the ship, your highness." Everyone could see she was gearing up for an argument so the man hurried on. "We felt it best that the crew remain contained until we could garner more information. As noble as this young woman has acted she still remains a suspect."

Princess Anna huffed heavily and Tor hoped she would push the issue, maybe with royal support they could bring, at the very least, the girl back to the castle. She deserved it after all. Instead he watched his last chance of support deflate and nod her head. "Fine. But they are being well taken care of?"

The soldier nodded, "They are being monitored by a contingency of your own soldiers, they haven't been shackled; food and blankets have been provided."

"Maybe we can spare a few few bedrolls, or perhaps a couple of pillows?" She glanced at around the barracks and a few of the men moved to locate the requested items.

"If you wish your highness," The man sighed and it was clear he wasn't pleased with the princesses kind gesture. "I'm not sure we should be catering to potential criminals."

"And I'm not so sure you should write off potential victims so quickly." They stared at each other for another moment in a silent challenge until the soldier backed away. She turned her attention towards Tor. "If you don't mind I would like if you came back with us. We'll need you to give your report to the queen and Prince Nicolaus."

He swallowed thickly, he did not want to repeat the events, least of all to the queen. But he was a loyal subject, despite his history as a former criminal, and would do as asked. So silently he followed her out and tried to return the reassuring smile the ice harvester gave him. He supposed it probably resembled a grimace more than a smile.

He looked back and saw the Southern Isles soldier watching them make the trek back to the main part of the castle. He was relieved to leave the man behind.

* * *

Tor followed Princess Anna and Kristoff, as the man had introduced himself, but when they entered their destination they were met with the sight of a furious prince storming away and a worried queen following him.

Looking around at the soldiers remaining in the entry way he noticed they all looked glum, Tor could safely bet the boys identity had been confirmed and judging by the palpable rage left behind by the stewing Prince Nicolaus, he could guess that the situation looked bleak.

Princess Anna opened her mouth to call for the queen but hesitated, exchanging a glance with Kristoff they came to a wordless agreement.

"This way please." She gestured to a room held of to the side and Tor followed her in. There was already a writing desk prepared with ink and paper, probably from some scribes earlier work before all the commotion broke out. "If you could just write down everything you know for us. That should do just fine, then the queen can go over it when she's ready. At least we won't have to keep bothering you."

She smiled brightly and he tried to return the expression but could already feel the nervous sweat breaking out along his hairline. "Um, yeah sure."

He sat and arranged the paper, shuffling it around and stacking it again to stall for time, but still the princess watched him. With a heavy sigh he picked up the quill and dipped it in the ink.

He must have hesitated for too long because suddenly Kristoff broke the awkward silence. "Do you know how to write?"

The princess, for her part, looked abashed, "Oh my goodness! I am so sorry I didn't even think to ask if you could read and write!" She whacked her hands against each cheek and shook her head back and forth. It was such an unroyal-like display that Tor could have laughed out loud – if we wasn't so mortified.

"I can read!" He snapped, forgetting for an instant who exactly it was he was grumbling to. "I just have a problem with making the letters."

To demonstrate he brought the quill down and began to compose the first part of his report as carefully as he could. Despite his vigilant work he still ended up with loops that went too big and lines that didn't go long enough, it was beyond illegible. It resembled the work of a chicken scratching at the ground.

"Well that is... a bit difficult to read." The princess fixed him with a gentle smile and he tried to not let the feeling of inadequacy get to him. He quickly glanced at Kristoff expecting a pitying look or perhaps a smirk of amusement, instead he was met with a nod of understanding.

"Kristoff, maybe you could-"

"I don't know how to write at all, Anna." He didn't snap or growl or even seem that ashamed. "Ice harvester remember? Nothing to write with, no one to teach me. And the trolls don't really use the same alphabet to get messages across, they use pictures. So unless you want a poorly drawn reenactment of todays events, I can't be of much help."

Tor perked up at the mention of trolls, he wanted to inquire further but the Princess cut in, "Kristoff!" her voice was high and annoyed, "Why didn't you say anything before! It's easy to learn."

"I'm the Ice Master and Deliverer which is, I might remind you, a totally made up title anyway. I haven't needed to learn. Besides most of the people can't do it either, usually we get by with just the bare minimum needed to perform our duties."

"But what about filling out orders?"

"Tally marks." He shrugged. They continued back and forth for a while, the princess would suggest a need to learn and Kristoff would explain why he didn't use that method.

"Well, I want to teach you." She stubbornly thrust her face close to his.

"Why?" He was getting visibly frustrated.

"So we can spend more time together." She huffed and threw her arms in the air as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. Kristoff immediately relaxed, leaning forward to brush a quick kiss against her nose.

"I'm a slow learner." Princess Anna grinned and laced their fingers together.

"I doubt that very much." They continued to stare at each other in their own little world and Tor was beginning to feel whiplash set in.

"So," He drawled, "Not to interrupt or anything, but did you still need me to write this? Because I can come back at another time." Like never, never sounded like a good time frame. Unfortunately the couple jumped apart, suddenly remembering that they had an audience member.

"No, of course not!" She sat on the bench and scooted closer until she was leaning right next to him. He nervously glanced around, avoiding the sight of her right under his nose. There was probably a law against her being this near to a peasant but after the display he just witnessed he wasn't all that surprised at her lack of concern for personal propriety.

"I'll just help you along." Tor wanted to groan when she grabbed the quill and placed it back in his hand. He'd hoped she would just do it for him.

Instead he spent the remainder of the afternoon practicing his penmanship on a description of a tortured prince, under the tutelage of his kingdoms princess. And to think, he had assumed this day couldn't get any stranger.

Finally he was allowed to stop, although the report was still difficult to read and he could bet he'd be called upon again to speak in front of the Queen, but still Princess Anna beamed at him proudly and he couldn't help but return the gesture.

He was released and the couple walked off to their own destination. It was getting pretty late and at first he had every intention of making his way back to the barracks and sleeping until his next shift but instead he found himself roaming the castle.

He started of walking but quickly became bored so instead he started to climb. The castle had a few secret passages mostly intended to aide in the royal families escape should the need ever arise. But what it lacked in hidden passage ways it made up for in high bannisters and easily removed ceiling panels. It was possible to get anywhere in the castle using those weaknesses as long as the exploiter was not afraid of heights.

Tor started off leaping from one wooden beam to the next but overshot a jump and would have landed right in the middle of a contingency of sleeping Southern Isles soldiers if he hadn't caught the ledge at the last moment.

Making a mental note to work on his rusty skills, he turned his attention to creeping along the exposed attic space. Only decorative statues stood guard here and he paused a moment to rest before he began drawing attention to himself by panting in exhaustion, Already his muscles screamed in protest at the sudden work-out and he could kick himself. He should have never gotten so complacent, just because he was one of the Queens own now didn't mean his skills would never again be useful.

He stood to force himself to execute a few more useful drills but leaned back out of sight when he saw the prince of the Southern Isles make his way toward his position.

His movements were sluggish and his skin was sallow and pinched tight. Under one arm he held a quilt, Tor recognized it from the day before.

He watched him until he walked under the ledge and out of sight. Tor wrestled with the decision to continue following him from above or to let the man be but the prince had looked exhausted, not well at all; so before he could talk himself out of it, Tor followed to make sure Nicolaus made it to his destination without any mishaps.

There were a few Southern Isle soldiers lounging about and Tor felt a stab of irritation, why weren't they looking out for their prince? But he didn't have time to dwell on this thought, his charge had already entered a room and closed the door behind him.

Tor carefully walked above where he judged the room to be and leaned down when he heard the muffled sound of voices. Gently he pried up one of the ceiling panels and peeked in through the crack he had created.

He saw the palace physician nod at something the prince said, "I'll just be next door should you need me." He left without waiting for an answer.

Tor watched as the prince walked over to the bed, he hadn't noticed the boy laying there at first, the bedding seemed to swallow him up, but the thief could already see minute improvements. He was clean and most of his face was wrapped, he looked less like a corpse and more like a genuinely hurt young man. But at least he could see his chest moving up and down, that was something.

Prince Nicolaus spread the quilt over the prone body and watched his brother for a few moments before sinking to the bed himself, scrubbing his palms into his eyes. Tor had the uncomfortable speculation that the prince might be crying but when the man looked up his face was dry and his eyes, although screaming of exhaustion, were devoid of tears.

He began whispering to his brother and Tor felt ill at ease for eavesdropping on such a personal moment, but the Prince merely repeated himself over and over "I'm sorry." That was all he said for a while until his fatigue seemed to become overwhelming and he stretched out next to Prince Hans.

Taking one last glance at the boy, he hoped that the sight of his improved state would wipe out the images from earlier, but every time he closed his eyes he could see the bloody gashes. Without a sound he dropped the panel back into place and snuck back the way he came, towards the barracks.

He didn't sleep well that night.

* * *

Back on the ship, the crew fidgeted nervously. The mute girl couldn't quite bring herself to share their anxiety. She had spent so long helping the prince, now that he was in better hands she could rest. After their "employer" had nailed down the rest of the floor boards, closing up the secret room for good, she had used all her resources to aide in whatever way she could. Slipping food down there and drizzling water through the cracks, though she knew he wouldn't be able to _see _it much less conjure the strength to reach for her offering.

She'd even placed covered hot coals over the boards during the magic freeze in the hopes that maybe a little warmth would creep down there.

She wasn't sure why she cared so much, he wasn't even her prince. At first she supposed it was because he was about the same age she was when she was mutilated, later she thought it was because she was tired of not being able to help ease the suffering of others.

In any regards she tried, that boy was saved, and now she could rest easy.

There was a creak on the floor boards from across the room. The sound had an immediate effect on the crew. Some whimpered hurried prayers, a few cursed. The rest remained silent, but none of them plead for mercy. They all knew better by now.

She leaned her her head back and closed her eyes as she felt a splash of warm liquid hit her arm. Could have been tears, could have been blood.

She was too tired to worry about it now. She toyed with the idea of opening her mouth to attempt one last word but the unyielding stub of her tongue reminded her that it would be no use to try.

Instead she relaxed against the wall and ignored a pained grunt from the edge of their little group. So much misery and not enough hope in her life. She was ready for it to be over now.

She just wanted to sleep. No more nightmares.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Sorry about the wait, writers block struck briefly. Please review if you have the time.**_

* * *

Nicolaus slept fitfully through the night, he'd constantly wake to find himself nearly falling off the edge or sliding to close to his brother. There was no happy medium. And the nightmares certainly didn't help.

Despite his lack of slumber, he stayed in bed long past sunrise, hardly stirring when the doctor came in to check wounds and change bloody bandages. His brother never moved through the entire process. Nicolaus couldn't decide if he was more concerned with Hans's lack of reaction, or relived that he was avoiding the pain.

The sun was significantly higher in the sky when the prince heard muffled voices from the other side of the door. They sounded hurried bordering on concerned.

With a heavy sigh he swung his legs to the ground, leaning heavily over his knees. He raised a shaky hand to run through his hair tugging and the knotted ends. With a frown he realized that it had grown to cover the tops of his ears. He was debating whether to cut it as he struggled to his feet, sluggishly making his way to the door.

The hinges groaned as he quickly swung the door open, catching the end of his soldiers conversation. "But we have to tell him! There is something-"

With a start they all turned to watch him, only a small group still remained stationed outside the door. The others must have made themselves busy elsewhere.

"Tell me what?" He sighed with disinterest leaning his forehead against the doorjamb. He simply could not fight past the apathy to convey proper emotion, he'd had his fill over the past few days.

"Forgive us my prince, it seems as though we have some dire news." Nicolaus sighed again, moving from the doorway and squinting at the sunlight reflecting off the walls. _Of course there's more dire news,_ he thought to himself, _can't go for too long without it or the universe will fall out of alignment._

"It seems the crew found on Prince Hans ship has gone missing." The original speaker began, an officer of lower rank judging by his insignia, but one of the younger men cut in.

"Sod on that! The only thing _missing_ is the bodies, they're dead! I seen the blood with my own eyes!" Well that certainly piqued his interest, he stood at full height and walked toward the soldiers now glaring daggers at each other.

"We don't know if they're actually dead, they had been guarded by Arendelle's soldiers, who were found knocked out. An attack from behind it looks like. Probably one of the crew sneaking his way from below deck. We haven't been able to question any of those men yet so we're not sure if they'd be able to recognize their assailants. " The older man sounded irritated. Nicolaus could share that sentiment, not only was he now robbed of nearly 2 dozen witnesses, but their host's own men had been injured during the night. He winced at the apology he would have to lay at the queens feet and hope that she was in a forgiving mood, at least they weren't dead. Why were they guarding the ship anyway? That should have been his men's job!

"But what about all the blood?!" The young soldier shoved himself forward before the prince could question further, "There was bucket loads!"

He waved his arms in the air as if to display just how much gore was truly staining the walls of the ship. The other men groaned and the young soldier turned to glare at each of them in turn.

"Blood would be a good indicator that something most foul had occurred." Nicolaus glanced at the first man pointedly, "And if we can measure it by the buckets then I'd say we're dealing with a massacre on our hands."

"Hardly _that_ much blood my prince." A new man spoke up, one he hadn't noticed til now. "Enough to cause concern but could also be contributed to a very active fight, perhaps some of the crew were a bit more hesitant to leave than others."

"Then where are _those_ crew members?" A dull throb was already setting behind his eyes. His soldiers shifted and avoided looking at each other, their youngest comrade was smirking in satisfaction. "Did anyone else happen to see the carnage besides these two?"

"The rest of our platoon is looking into it, these two ran ahead to deliver the news prematurely. We apologize your highness, we should have waited until information was more readily available." The lower ranking officer glared at the pair in question. That would explain where everyone else had gone.

Nicolaus sighed and dug his palms into his eyes hoping to dull the pain that was sharpening with every passing minute. All he wanted to do was go back and sit with his brother, he should have never left the room.

"Alright we'll wait for more news, in the mean time I suppose I should find the queen and apologize for the-" At that moment a young Arendelle soldier whipped around the corner, stalking up to the officer with fury written all over his features. Drawing back a fist he delivered a glancing blow to the older soldiers eye, not a well aimed hit but it certainly did the trick as the soldier reeled back in surprise.

"I told you we should have brought them back here! She helped us and now she's dead because of you!" He screamed, fighting against the hold of a few Southern Isle soldiers who grabbed the young man after he'd attacked. "This is all YOUR fault!"

He surged forward again and nearly squirmed out of their grasp. Nicolaus moved toward the scuffle and the young man immediately halted his fight, glancing at the prince before shifting his gaze back to the officer who was rubbing a thumb along the split eyebrow he'd received. The two glared at each other silently.

"What do you mean she helped us? Who helped us?"

"One of the women on the ship, sir-I mean, your highness." The soldier answered through gritted teeth, still glowering. "She's the one who helped me find your brother and this idiot," He gestured angrily to the soldier in question, a drop of blood already running down the other mans face, "Convinced everyone that she was too dangerous to help. And now they're all dead."

"We don't know that they're dead!" The officer hissed. "They could have escaped which would only prove that I was right to keep them locked up!"

Nicolaus hardly paid any attention to the man behind him, leaning closer to the struggling soldier he ducked his head slightly. "You found my brother?"

"Well, yes. But I had help." He quickly explained his role in the discovery, taking many opportunities to remind them all that he couldn't have done it alone.

While he listened he replayed a memory over in his mind, that of a terrified crew member. _We can't sirs! They'll kill out families! _The crew had been left alone, through the great freeze and even after he and his men had torn the ship apart, no harm had come to any of them. It was only after one of their group had reached out to help did they go missing with a questionable amount of blood left where they once had been.

The crew was dead, he was almost certain of it now. He didn't need to look at the clues or sift through signs; He knew. Which also meant that whoever was responsible was intimately involved with their investigation, enough to know exactly when they'd been disobeyed and skilled enough to murder a large group of people and dispose of their corpses before anyone was the wiser.

"Did we bring any sharks with us?" A named used for a specialized unit of his military, those who could spend long periods of time under water and dive deeper than the rest; they were often used to search through shipwrecks or after storms to locate for any missing bodies. His father had ironically called them 'sharks' claiming that he wouldn't be surprised if they could smell the blood. The name had stuck after that.

"Didn't think we would need any, your highness." The officer behind him spoke but he made no reply, he could understand the need to treat all as suspects until they were cleared of the crime, but he still chaffed that because of this action they'd lost their lives – and most likely that of any relatives they'd had too.

"My Da was a shark!" The youngest of his soldiers piped up. "Taught me a good deal too! Can't hold my breath for as long but the deep don't bother me none."

"We'll take what we can get. I need you to start combing the ocean floor. See if there is anything suspicious such as crates or bundles just laying there. When I go apologize to the queen I'll see if she has any men who could help in this task, perhaps she's in a forgiving mood." With a bright grin the lad nearly flew towards the castle entrance.

"Your Highness, we don't know-"

"You may lead a search party through the areas surrounding the town. If they really did escape then that's the first place they'd go. Try to stay out of the way though, yes?"

"Very well," The officer sighed, he'd long since wiped the blood from his cheek and the shallow split was already clotting over. "But I still urge caution until the other men give their report. Perhaps wait til all the facts are in before we begin a run around."

"Thank you, your advice is noted." And would be ignored since he had no intention of waiting to hear that his men had found very little other than blood stains and missing crew members.

The soldier said no more, merely gestured to the remaining men. Five followed him leaving one behind along with the Arendelle native who still looked glum but less likely to strike out at anyone. Nicolaus studied the young man for a moment who seemed to grow uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

"Are you on duty now?" He finally asked. The soldier shook his head. "Would you mind doing me a favor then? I'll gladly pay you for it."

Again there was no verbal answer only a shrug, if he were dealing with any other royal the young man would have been reprimanded for his actions but Nicolaus merely gestured for him to follow, also indicating to his own soldier to stay back for a moment so they could talk in private.

He walked to his brothers room and the young man hesitated before entering himself. "May I have your name?"

"Tor, your highness."

"Well Tor, you have done me a great service and I am unsure how to repay you. My brother is alive because of your quick thinking." He watched Tor open his mouth but cut him off before he could speak. "And I am truly sorry that the young woman was harmed for her part."

"I didn't even really know her, she pretty much hated me up until I finally figured out what she was getting at. But still it's not fair."

"It's hard to abide it when justice isn't just." He only received a nod in answer. "I need to call on your services again if you don't mind terribly, I already owe you more than you'll ever know but I was hoping you could allow me this additional debt."

The soldier only looked at him in question and he silently prayed that the queen wouldn't be too furious for relying on her own military personnel once again.

"I fear that there may be traitors in our midst." Tor scoffed at this admission and didn't convey any surprise. "I don't know if they will try an attempt on my brothers life again but I an unsure if I can trust my own men and I don't think I'll be able to until we have rooted out the problem."

"I would start with that idiot bastard you call an officer."

"Regardless of where I start, I need my brother watched and I have other matters to attend to, first and foremost being a genuine grovel at your queens feet for aide." Nicolaus watched Tor grin at this mental image, "And since I can't trust my own men and you have already proved that you adhere to his best interests, I would ask that you stay with Prince Hans and make sure no harm comes to him while I'm away."

Tor's mouth fell open, Nicolaus would have found this comical if he weren't too busy worrying that the young man might decline and leave him with few other options. Instead the soldier surprised him, he glanced over at Hans and studied him for a moment.

"A terrible thing happened to your brother, and an innocent girl lost her life for helping. She's beyond any aide I can give her now, but your brother I can still help." Nicolaus grinned and clapped a hand against Tors shoulder in gratitude. "I'll warn you now my skills aren't in fighting; if something happens I'm going to have to rely on less conventional methods."

The prince didn't even consider asking what that meant, he was too relieved that someone minutely trustworthy was willing to help. He watched Tor cross to the other side of the bed and inspect his brother closer.

"Looks like he's doing even better from up close!"

"From up close?" Tors reaction to the question was to duck his head and rub the back of his neck nervously. Nicolaus didn't push the issue, he supposed that fit into the "unconventional methods" category mentioned earlier. "Right... well I am off to request an audience with your queen, she doesn't often use her powers as punishment does she?" He thought back to the night before while in the dungeon with "Loki".

"Nah," Tor grabbed a chair and scooted it closer to the bedside, bracing his feet against the mattress while he sat. "She's not like that. Mostly the bad reactions come from fear."

"Unfortunately for you," He continued, perusing through a stack of books lying on the end table, "I already met with her this morning, giving my report and all, she's beyond scared and straight into terrified. I'd not make any sudden movements if I were you."

"Thank you for that wisdom," Nicolaus quipped, straitening his tunic and running his hand through his hair in attempt to appear presentable. "I'll be sure to commend her on the outstanding actions of the men she commands."

Tor's laughter followed the prince out the door, he caught up with his remaining guard who fell into step behind him. It wasn't the queens powers that frightened him at his point, it was the thought that she'd realize that he'd brought nothing but trouble since the moment he'd arrived looking for his brother.

He silently prayed that she wouldn't promptly kick him out of the kingdom and wash her hands of the whole situation.

* * *

Elsa shifted again in her seat to avoid the single ray of sunshine that was carefully aimed in her line of vision. It was not a good day and she was already fighting back irritation at the smallest things like the way the sun mocked her or the birds screeched outside the window. A little more than a week into her rule and her kingdom was already thrown into another catastrophe.

Sighing in exasperation she gave up on trying to outwit the suns glare and simply stood, walking in a circle around the large table taking up most of the war room. Elsa had been called upon a little after dawn when a few of her men were discovered unconscious on the Prince's ship. All of the crew was missing, presumed dead or escaped. She spent an hour trying to calm her military leaders who were chomping at the bit; they wanted anyone or anything to do with the Southern Isles away from Arendelle and fast.

In the end they had all backed down but by no doing of her own. After trying to interpret a report which Anna had insisted was of the utmost importance, she had finally given up and called for the soldier instead.

Soon a young soldier, no more than Anna's age she would have guessed, entered the war room with no small amount of trepidation. He had hesitated at the door, saluting his superiors and bowing to her nervously.

He was smaller than most of the other soldiers, very lean and lithe and bore traditional Scandinavian features with his blond hair and high cheek bones. One of the lieutenants introduced him by name and called for his report.

Cautiously he began his tale, and even though Elsa had already known many of these facts, the young man had looked genuinely distraught over the circumstances.

He gave many details and speculation, and described Prince Hans wounds with such heaviness in his voice it made her officers shift in discomfort. When he finished they sat silently with their thoughts before the queen interrupted.

"I can not, in good conscience, remove these men from our country so soon. They just need a little time to recover, that's all I ask. Then they will leave just like you want." She wanted to say more, but this alone was on the border of pleading and she was still unsure if doing so would be taken as weakness.

"We have had nothing but trouble since they arrived. They paint us as a target the longer they stay." One of her older generals spoke out, he did not say it unkindly but he was not the sort to deal with batting around the issue at hand.

"We were a target before they even showed up. The imposter very nearly had us in the palm of his hand, I'd say the only reason his plan hadn't worked to fruition was because he hadn't anticipated the queens powers." The lieutenant argued. Elsa startled at this revelation, she had never considered that her loss of control might have actually done some good for her kingdom.

"True as that may be, our soldiers were injured last night and now we have a couple dozen fugitives gone missing, and I'd put my money on them being dead. If they'd cooperated like this soldier says they did why would they have escaped? No, I'm quite sure they were killed and our men were only spared as a warning."

Arguing broke out in small factions, from across the table she heard the young soldier shout in disbelief, "They're all dead?! All of the crew?"

"Don't know for sure," The lieutenant said, "Those we had guarding the ship were sent for medical care, we have held off on questioning them until they are cleared by a physician. We'll also have to wait until we can get a look at the ship for ourselves, we let the Southern Isles soldiers have a crack at it since it is still technically their territory."

The young man was already seething in rage by the time the lieutenant had finished explaining. Without being dismissed he flew from the room. A few of her officers stood to apprehend him but Elsa called them back. "Leave him be, he'll stomp around for a bit before settling down."

For their part they looked unsure of this prediction but still followed her orders. Once they had seated themselves again she gave her final ruling on the initial argument at hand.

"I am allowing Prince Nicolaus and his contingency to remain here until such time as Prince Hans has recovered enough to travel home. We will continue to offer aide where it applies to the prince and his brother but we will no longer be responsible for any information gathering outside of where it affects us as a nation."

These men were still too well trained to speak out against their ruling monarch but their displeasure was blatantly evident. After a few more discussions of how the country was going to recover from more than half the crops dying from a magical freeze, the meeting was called to an end.

Elsa had remained behind as her men left, she found she was not overly fond of going against the suggestions of those who had helped keep Arendelle safe since her fathers reign. In fact she wasn't sure why she had even argued to have them stay here despite the threat they posed.

She supposed it had a little to do with a bleeding heart and more to do with finding answers. Elsa had always been inquisitive, now she worried that natural curiosity might cause them harm in the end.

After pacing another circle around the table she slumped into a chair, at the opposite end of where the suns rays had steadily attacked her, and leaned her head back to rest against the wall, resting her tired eyes. This was the position Nicolaus found her in a few minutes later.

"Your Majesty," He greeted. Her eyes flew open and she startled nearly losing her balance and falling off the chair in the process.

"You are going to be the death of me, you know that?" Elsa exclaimed, clutching the fabric resting above her heart. She had never had to worry about people appearing out of thin air when she was left in the isolation of her own room.

"It seems I owe you apologies on multiple accounts, your majesty. For scaring you and for the damage your men received while guarding my prisoners."

Elsa sighed heavily and gestured to a seat which the prince gladly took. "Why were my men in charge of guarding the ship Prince Nicolaus? I understand that I have more soldiers at my disposal given that we are in my territory, but this was not our task."

"I understand, Your Majesty." His brow furled up and the worry lines she had come to associate with him made a staunch appearance. "Regretfully I do not have an answer. Truth be told I was in shock yesterday, I allowed some of my men to take the reigns and I fear they may have taken advantage of your hospitality. It won't happen again."

"I'm afraid you are right, I had to assure my military leaders that we would no longer be part of such ventures. I understand you were upset and rightly so, but I cannot have you ignoring the command of your men if it means allowing my own to come to harm."

She watched him nod his head and glance away in embarrassment. He laced his fingers over the table, Elsa had watched Anna comfort people my placing a hand over their own, internally she debated doing just that but decided against it. She wasn't comfortable with the thought and he did not look comfortable being pitied.

"I apologize again Queen Elsa, you are absolutely right." He sighed and ran a thumb along his worry lines before glancing at her again. "Are you sending us home?"

He was worried, she could hear it in his voice. And who could blame him, if she sent them away now there was very little chance that Hans would survive the journey.

"No, you can stay. For now." He shot her a relieved grin which disappeared quickly as he seemed to consider something.

"I do have a favor to ask, although I am in no position to do so." He shrugged one shoulder and favored her with a charming half-smile. She wanted to laugh and warn him that he was laying it on too thick, but he continued with his request. "I was hoping I could borrow one of your soldiers, a young cadet by the name of Tor."

Elsa recognized the name from earlier and was sorely tempted to decline his request, the young man had proven to be one of her more skilled soldiers and if she were honest with herself she didn't want anymore of her men to come to harm over Southern Isles problems.

"I understand that your soldiers haven't had the highest luck rate when it comes to working with me and my men. But I can't trust anyone right now and Tor seems to care about what happens to my brother."

Elsa balked at lack of faith in his own men. Seeing her confusion, Nicolaus explained his suspicions and worries, of how someone with a great deal of knowledge was already striking, making it known that this was not over for any of them.

"If 'Loki' was able to stow away aboard a ship, which conveniently had it's own little dungeon already built in and get rid of the original crew, he obviously had to have help. And I can't be sure if that assistance somehow dispersed among your own people or traveled over with me, but either way I can not trust them."

"But you can trust me and my soldiers?" She meant it as a joke but he did not laugh. Instead he focused on her until she shifted uncomfortably, she had forgotten the way he seemed to stare right into his targets mind.

"Yes," he answered, "I believe I can."

She blushed and looked away, he clearly did not intend the comment to be flattering but she still took it that way. Elsa mentally scolded herself, she really needed to get a handle on these outrageous reactions. Just because he was the first man she had ever interacted with on a personal level outside of family and subordinates did not give her the right to act like a giddy adolescent.

"Very well." She agreed, hoping that her military leaders would not be overly displease with her decision. "I will speak with his lieutenant, see if we can't make it his temporary post." Nicolaus grinned fully, brightening his features and her heart flip-flopped in her chest, again she berated herself.

"You have my eternal gratitude Queen Elsa!" He jumped to his feet, "I'll go check in with my men investigating the ship and send someone over to give you a full report right away." He grabbed her hand and brushed a thumb along her wrist. Mistaking her wince as a sign of displeasure, he quickly drew away and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Sorry about that, I forget my manners when I've had some good news."

"It's alright, I'm just not quite used to physical contact." She didn't add the fact that his touch in particular caused her mind to rebel against all logic. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow, she in turn gazed at him pointedly.

"Right, not the time. A story for another day perhaps." He smiled at her again and bowed before exiting the war room. Evidently quite excited that he was not being exiled and that he could still rely on her support.

Elsa groaned and rested her head in her palms once she was sure he had gone for good. What was wrong with her?!


End file.
